What Darkness Fears
by Serenity Angel14
Summary: Beneath our world, are other worlds that humankind refuses to see. We tell ourselves there's nothing to fear in the darkness but deep down we know it's a lie. Deep in the shadows, Angels & Demons battle the eternal battle for the souls of all mankind ...
1. Prolouge

**What Darkness Fears**

Beneath our world, there are other worlds that most humans refuse to let themselves see. We tell ourselves there's nothing to fear in the darkness but deep down we know it's a lie. Deep in the shadows, Angels and Demons battle the eternal battle for the souls of all mankind.

A battle that has now come down to the choice of one. A choice that will ultimately force Serena to choose between the fate of all and the fate of the one who holds her heart, the half human half demon son of the demon king on earth.

**Title: What Darkness Fears**

**Pre-Prologue**

**Before the birth of the Human World (the Middle Kingdom) there were two worlds that could never be at peace but were able to co-exist. **

**In the Upper Kingdom (Heaven) Angels dwelled in light and love. **

**In the Lower Kingdom (Hell, or the Underworld) dwelled all those who had defied the laws of heaven and had long ago been banished. These beings, these fallen angels, had once been powerful angels of heaven, but over time they became something else, something just as powerful, but evil and twisted. Not just their souls but also their physical bodies had been altered until they no longer resembled angels of heaven. These beings earned a new name – Demons. A powerful, evil and ruthless race. **

**Of the fallen angels, the most powerful was Lucifer who had been sealed into hell for all of time for crimes so heinous that it was forbidden to even speak his name in the Kingdom of Heaven.**

**The Upper Kingdom was unable to be touched by any of the Lower Kingdom, and the Upper Kingdom held no interest in gracing Hell. With Demons unable to enter heaven and the Angels unwilling to enter hell, an unsteady truce was in place.**

**One day, the most powerful force in all the Kingdoms, known to the Angels as "Father," the creator of Heaven and Hell, created a third kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and gave it too a new people, Mankind. Man, who was created from both good and evil, was given the gift of free will from the Father and in doing so, each would choose their own fate, their own way, their own side.**

**And for a time, the Middle Kingdom, under the love and guidance of the Upper Kingdom, lived in peace. And so it remained, until a powerful demon discovered a way to break into the Middle Kingdom and influenced the naïve humans into doing his bidding. With each dark act, the Demon, and Hell itself, grew stronger. **

**To protect the Middle Kingdom, the Father tasked the Angels with the duty of protecting the human race, but with one rule. They could not take away free will of those of the Middle Kingdom.**

**And so the war began, with neither side ever able to gain an advantage. A war that would never have an end as long things remained as they were.**

**For hundreds of millennia, the war continued for the souls of all mankind, always hidden from mortal eyes.**

**And then it seemed that the impossible came to pass. An Angel and a Demon fell in love and gave life to a child, a child that was both and neither. As punishment for their treason, the Demon was killed and the Angel was forever more forbidden to leave the Kingdom of Heaven.**

**The child, with no place in the Upper or Lower kingdom, was cast to Earth. **

**Two decades passed and the child had no clue from where she had come. Until one day the war spilled into her home and she discovered she had powers over Angels and Demons alike.**

**And so it was this child who tipped the scales to the side of good and for a time prevented the Demons from claiming the Middle Kingdom for themselves.**

**Ever since that day, every five thousand years, a direct descendant would be gifted with the powers and abilities of the mixed supernatural bloodline. A human child, who at the age of maturity would receive immortality, could tip the scales of the balance or preserve it. And so, every five millennia the child chose. Although only a rare few ever sided against the Angels, always the Angels were wary, as with each child they were either the protectors or the destroyers.**

**And so the time had come once again for the next chosen child to be born into the world under the Serenity Moon, the one who would decide the course of the war for the next five thousand years . . .**

**Prologue**

Never had he seen the moon shine so brightly nor look as large as it did this night.

Like the star that had guided the three kings, it was proof that the foretold night had come. This was the night, in which the Serenity Moon ruled the night sky, that a very special child would be born. A human child with the blood of all three Kingdoms. A child that would decide the fate of the Immortal War for the next five thousand years until the next chosen child was born.

The child was known by many names. To those of Hell, he was known as "the Half-blood" and to the angels he was known as either "the Chosen Child" or "The Light". Unless of course, the child chose against the angels, in which case the child became known, to the angels, as "the Condemned."

The power of the supernatural world was heavy in the cool night air, making it known across the three kingdoms, that the child would soon be born. The moment the child was born into the world, a shockwave of power would ripple through the three Kingdoms: Earth, Heaven and Hell, proclaiming the birth of the child. A tremor of immense power felt only by the divine, the immortal and the condemned.

In other words, the Angels, the Demons and anything else that had managed to claw its way out of hell.

Darien, who had once been – and to a very few still was – known by the name Endymion, stepped out of the shadows and looked up at the brightly glowing moon. It was a quiet night in Los Angeles, the city of Angels, even by his standards. Humans may not have been able to feel the power in the air, but their instincts warned them that it was a night to stay indoors. Angels and Demons alike were on the move tonight. The city was crawling with restless soldiers and powerful beings of both sides that for one night had little interest in fighting with the each other. All attention was focused on the birth of the child and what it would mean for the coming five millennia.

It seemed fitting to Darien that the child would be born in the City of Angels. After all, it was the duty of the angels to protect the child until he became of age and choose his side. Until the child came of age it was law that no one could touch or even go near the child, demon and angel alike, with only one exception. The Guardians. One angel and one demon, both powerful, but forbidden from influencing the child in any form. They were to protect the child until he was of age, and then all bets were off.

The race to find and sway the child began the second the child came of age and inherited his awesome power. In that moment, he could be forced to make his choice known. A choice that could never be undone as long as the Chosen lived.

The previous Chosen child, who would die the moment the next chosen child was born, had chosen to stand with the angels. And so hell had been unable to claim the earth and the humans for themselves. But another chance had come and hell would be fighting and would stop at nothing to have the child on their side.

"Can you feel it?" A familiar voice said from the shadows behind him. "The child will be born soon."

Darien was not startled, nor taken by surprise. He hadn't known that he was there, but there were only a few who he couldn't sense and none of them would cause him harm. Those of hell would not dare touch him for fear of his father, and the one angel, who he was not able to sense, had by choice sworn him no harm.

Darien turned to see the beautiful angelic figure dressed completely in white step out of the shadows. Even though he had been in the shadows, the shadows had not touched him. He had a hint of a glow around him, which all angels seemed to have. His beauty, the ethereal glow and his eyes were the only physical betrays of his celestial status. Darien knew him, even if he didn't recognise his current vessel. Angels had no physical body on earth like demons did. When an angel wished to take physical form they had to take a human body. But despite the constant change in the vessel, Darien always recognised him for what he was by the air of power and superiority he carried around him. However, this one was not as superior or as self-righteous as the rest of his kind, instead he almost seemed to feel a form of kinship towards Darien, something that confounded Darien completely. .

He was the powerful angel Cassiel. The only angel who had never looked upon Darien as the hated enemy; he greeted him as a friend.

In truth, Darien was his enemy by birthright. He was half-demon and half-human. The half-blooded son of the Demon High Lord who, for lack of a better title, was the king of the demons on Earth, but Darien chose to keep out of his father's war. He wanted no part of it.

It had always been that way, even before his father had killed his mother and had tried to frame the Angels.

It had been Cassiel who had revealed the truth to Darien.

Darien had never understood why Cassiel came to him, why he had interfered with his father's attempts at manipulating him into taking his place as the demon prince. He was unsure how he felt about it, slightly annoyed, but still hopeful. Maybe his humanity wasn't so far gone; maybe he wasn't as forsaken as he believed. That was the truth to why he tolerated the angel even though Cassiel irritated Darien to no end with his riddles and cryptic council.

"Pray that my father cannot get a reading on him before your brothers can cloak him." Darien said gently. "My father wants that child. He wants this world. His impatience is making the demon kind edgy. He is willing to cross any lines to get his way. Even the Absolute Laws that protect the child."

Cassiel considered him for a long time, as if trying to get a read on him, even though it wasn't possible. Demons were immune to the prying ways of the Angels, only humans and other Angels were susceptible to their abilities. He was human but he was still protected. "And you do not share your father's desires?"

"I hold no interest in this war, you know that." Darien spoke truthfully, sounding fatigued even though Angels and Demons alike did not sleep. That was a human weakness. He could sleep, because he was half human, but he did not need too. He rarely did. Why leave himself so vulnerable to attack? But it was nice to have the option of retreating from the world for a few short hours. Immortality had long ago become a burden. "I just want to be left alone."

Cassiel gave him a knowing smile. The angel had the gift of foresight; he could see the future, a gift so few Angels and Demons possessed. He could even pass through time as he willed it. His expression told Darien that he knew something that he wasn't going to tell, which wasn't anything new. "You will. Destiny's claim of you will be born with the child. Heed my words, Darien, you will not be able to hide from this war much longer. The child, once grown, will determine not just the fate of the war and mankind for the next five thousand years, but your fate as well."

"Not everything you see is certain, Cassiel."

"It is a rare occasion when something I see does not come to pass." He said without superiority or arrogance, just truth.

Companionable silence fell between then for a beat before Cassiel went on, his tone knowing and certain. "Your father seeks you. He wants you by his side as the prince he believes you to be. His only born son. His only male heir."

Darien's curse. He had only one sibling, a younger sister. His father had wanted a second son to replace the one he had lost – Darien wanted his father's blood, he was no longer considered an ally of the demon – when he had betrayed him by killing his mother but so far he had only managed to conceive a daughter, born only a year ago. Reiizon, the demon word for daughter.

It was fortunate that it was almost impossible for Demons to have children. With other demons it was impossible, but with humans there was a small chance of conception. Darien didn't know if Angels could bear children, it had never come up and Darien knew that few – if any – ever mated. At all. They were so obsessed with their duty and their missions, that there was so little time for anything else.

Although, according to the legend of the Chosen children, there was a chance that angels and demons could mate, although it remained untested in modern times as demons and angels despised each other.

Darien blinked, realising that he had allowed his thoughts to drift. He returned his attention to the conversation at hand. "My father is always seeking me."

Cassiel gave no indication of even noticing Darien's moment of distraction.

"Yes, but now he seeks you more than ever. His seer has told him that one day the Chosen child will fall into your hands. That you and you alone, will decide the fate of the Chosen one. That you will have the power to sway the Chosen one to the darkness."

Darien couldn't have been more shocked if the angel had told him that he was going to sprout wings and be welcomed into heaven. "Will I?"

Cassiel shrugged casually.

Darien scoffed. "How will I be able to sway him? No, the Seer is wrong. She has been before. My father forgets that; he puts too much faith in what she sees."

"Your sister will have sight. She will be much stronger and much more reliable than your father's current Seer. The Seer will not see her death coming when your father realises what he has in his daughter."

Translation: Cassiel has seen his father kill his current Seer once his father realises that there is a stronger one that he can more easily control.

"With her at his side, maybe he will let me live in peace."

Cassiel gave no reply.

A powerful pulse rippled through the air like a shockwave, instantly turning the head of every immortal towards the direction from which it had come.

They both looked up at the moon. There was something in the air, the feeling that something momentous had begun.

"And so the child is born." Darien whispered.

"And the fight for sway over the child begins. The poor soul, always running, always hiding and never truly understanding their fate. At least not until the time comes."

"His fate will not be a kind one. Which angel is charged with his protection until he is of age and he can choose his side?"

Cassiel grinned, a friendly glint in his eyes. "Now, Darien, you know I can't tell you that."

"Well for his sake, I hope it's not Ariel. The cold hearted ruthless bastard. He would sooner slay him than allow him to make his choice."

Cassiel's smile faded. "It is true, some of my brothers are less empathetic than others, but nonetheless, even the angels cannot harm the child until the choice is made."

Darien turned and looked at him. The angel had wisdom and something else in his eyes, something that almost looked like amusement. "You know which side the child will choose."

Cassiel looked up at the moon, sadness on his face. "This child will be different from those before. This Chosen will change things in ways you cannot imagine." Cassiel looked down into Darien's eyes. "This child will even bring about change in you."

Darien turned away from him, not believing the angel for a second. Angels, especially Cassiel, were self-confident and arrogant in believing that every step they took was the right one. The angel was wrong; Darien wanted nothing to do with the war or his father or the child.

If his father was searching for him again then he had to leave the city. It was too bad, he had always liked the City of Angels, but he had no choice. He would never again be part of this war, a war he wanted no part in ever again.

Darien turned to leave, but Cassiel's words made him pause.

"You can't run from this, Endymion. Your part to play in this is too significant."

It had been the use of his true name that had stopped him. Cassiel had never addressed him by the name his father had given him.

"Run if you may, but it will change nothing. Sooner or later we all have to face what it is we are running from."

Darien turned around to tell him otherwise, but when he turned the angel was gone. Out of habit, he scanned the darkness around him but as he had known, there was nothing. Cassiel was gone and once again he had only left behind his usual cryptic parting words.

Darien looked up at the moon. _'I wish good luck to you child, but we will never meet. I will never again be part of this war.'_

And he stepped forward into the shadows and a moment later the street was deserted with no sign of any life at all.

On the other side of the city, a bloody new born child lay in the moonlight and cried, paying no heed to the two men in the corner of the room watching. Two men whom not one of the doctors or doctors in the delivery room could see.

Unnoticed by any in the crowded room, the mother of the newborn, still on the delivery table, looked directly at the two men, one of who seemed to be part of the shadows while the other was glowing, both still unnoticed in the shadows of the corner of the room.

"Protect her." It was a warning and a plea.

The glowing figure met her eyes and bowed his head once, before he and his companion disappeared into the shadows of the corner of the room.

With motherly love, in her wise and knowing eyes, she turned her attention to her daughter. A daughter she would never know, but even with that sadness in her heart, the smile she gave the newborn was one of motherly love and happiness. "Serena," She whispered as the nurse handed her her daughter.

Knowing her seconds were fleeting, she kissed her daughter on her tiny soft forehead, and softly started to sing her lullaby, even knowing she would never finish the whole lullaby.

"_Angels in heaven watch over from above,_

_Always know that you are loved."_

As the last word passed her lips, the mother felt all her strength and life force leave her and she fell limp against the bed. The alarms of the heart monitor beside her sounded, signalling a flat line to the room full of medical personnel.

"With the next born onto the world, the one before goes onto heaven." Cassiel whispered unseen from the doorway as he watched the room light up with a light only the immortals could see and the spirit of the previous chosen be claimed by heaven.

And so it began, the beginning of the end.


	2. Chapter 1 The Dark Defender

**Hi Everyone!**

**Thanks to you all for being so patient waiting for my next chapter, but life has been . . . well life. I am currently moving from Queensland to Tasmania and boy is it taking some organising! Anyone whose ever moved across a state line (three for me in fact) and body of water (that would be the Bass Straight) knows what I'm talking about.**

**A special thanks to my Editor AngelONight for getting this chapter done when she's so busy.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Dark Defender**

* * *

**Exactly Seventeen Years, Eleven Months and Three Weeks Later . . .**

Darien was dreaming. He always knew when he was, even during his dreams of late. These particular dreams always seemed so hauntingly real that he was unable to escape them, even when he was awake.

Cassiel was standing in darkness, but the darkness never touched the angel with his celestial glow made up of pure white light. The purest of pure light. A light brighter than would ever be found on earth.

The angel was looking at Darien with a knowing smile on his lips and a familiar easiness in his endless eyes. It was said that a pure soul could look into the eyes of an angel and see paradise.

Heaven.

Even in his dreams, Cassiel was never anything but a friend. An annoying one at that, but a friend none-the-less.

Cassiel looked into Darien's eyes with his mortal vessel's eyes that did nothing to cloak his divinity. "You can't run from this, Endymion. Your fate is tied to the child."

Darien's eyes narrowed at the sound of his true name. Cassiel tended to use it to remind him of what he truly was and the fact that he couldn't escape it; even though he'd been trying to his entire immortal life.

With Cassiel's words spoken, Darien turned as he knew what came next. What always came next in the dream that had haunted him for years. With each passing year since the Chosen had been born and he had been plagued with this same dream, only one element ever changed.

Out of the darkness a white spark came to life, a spark that continued to grow, becoming brighter and brighter by the second. The light was far brighter than any Darien had ever seen, and he'd seen much in his long empty life. The light became so bright that it was beyond light and it swallowed the darkness around him until not a single shadow remained.

Not even within his black Demonic soul- if he even had a soul that was.

The light became more golden than white. It was filled with such intense warm emotions that he could feel nothing but warmth and love. It was the only time Darien had ever known that he was not weighed down by the shames and sins of his past. By his anger, his hatred and his loneliness.

The light tormented him because he knew it wouldn't stay.

And then Darien saw her, the source of the light and the warmth around him. He never saw her face, but he felt her heart. He felt her love and her joy as if she were made up of it. A sun giving love and life instead of light.

At first she was only a small infant with a few thin strands of golden hair atop her head, but before his eyes, she had grown. Every year she had grown older, from an infant into a toddler, from a toddler to a small child. From a child to a teenager and in the last few years that teenager had started to become a young woman who made him think thoughts one would not think towards a child.

He never saw her face but he knew that she was beautiful, more so than any creature of heaven or hell he had ever laid eyes upon. With long flowing golden hair that had only grown longer with each passing year and a tiny feminine frame with all the right curves that was only now hinting at what she would very soon be in her full maturity. She was what all the human female models would sell their souls to hell to be.

But it was more than her physical form that had Darien staring at her in awe; it was what she carried around her. When Darien looked at her he felt her love and kindness, her loyalty and unyielding determination.

She shone like a golden sun made only for him and for a few brief moments he held hope that he might find salvation from his eternal damnation.

Darien's heart sank, even in the warm loving light, knowing what was coming next.

"She is yours to protect. Her fate is in your hands." Cassiel said with a trace of sadness in his tone. "She can continue to shine, casting the shadows from even you, or she can perish and the world will be cast into eternal darkness."

As Cassiel spoke, the golden light faded until all was dim and grey. Darien could feel her dying and she was taking him with her. Not that he cared. How could he continue on without her, without her light and love?

As quickly as it had come, the love and warmth had faded and all that remained was empty darkness.

But Darien could still feel her eyes upon him.

"Darien." She pleaded, her weak voice filled with pain, suffering and sadness so strong that he couldn't breath. Not that he needed breathe to live, all he needed was her.

And as everything went black around him, the darkness consuming him right down into his very soul – again if he even had one. There was nothing left, not even Cassiel.

And for years, since the dreams beginning, that was where his little piece of heaven and hell ended.

But not tonight it didn't.

Darien looked around, almost alarmed. For so long it had been the same dream. Even while awake he could replay the dream perfectly in his mind, forgetting not a single element.

Tonight Darien remained in the darkness without her and it teared at his insides.

And then something new happened in the dream he had been having for nearly eighteen years, Cassiel's voice whispered through the darkness, "It's time Darien. She needs you. Go to her or it will be too late. For us all."

* * *

Darien cried out as he bolted upright in his bed, breathing deeply as sweat dripped down his heated face.

It was that dream again. Even though he'd had the same dream every time he'd slept in the last eighteen years, it still affected him the same as it had the first time. He still woke up with his heart racing and the need to act, to protect the young woman, surging through him.

It was because of the dream that he had taken to sleeping so much more often, even knowing how the dream would end. He was well aware that he had become addicted to the way he felt for the first half of the dream. While awake, he felt nothing even close to what she made him feel.

And even though it galled him to admit it, it wasn't the warm light that drew him back into sleep. It was her. She pulled him towards her, even in a dream, with an undeniable force. Like gravity was to the mortals. There was something about her, something that in the last few years especially had him constantly thinking about her. He didn't know her face but he felt as if he knew her.

Darien couldn't explain it, but after waking up there was always fleeting traces of other emotions he knew weren't his remaining within him for a short time.

They were hers.

Sometimes it was happiness and love, sometimes confusion and conflict, and sometimes, although more so lately, it was loneliness and sadness. The last two Darien knew all too well.

For seventeens years the dream had remained the same, only the age of the chosen child ever changed. With the first dream, Darien had dismissed it as only a dream from the stress of dodging his father's Demonic soldiers on his way out of Los Angeles the night the Chosen had been born, but then the dream had come to him again and again until he'd been unable to deny that it was more than a mere mortal dream.

It had shocked him at first that the child had been born a female, especially since the last chosen had been female, and he had strived to sleep as little as possible. Demons didn't need to sleep, but he chose too. It gave him short fleeting moments of peace from what caused so much chaotic conflict within him.

But his resolve had only lasted a few short months; the pull of the Chosen had been too strong for him to stay away from for long.

But this latest dream had come with a warning. Darien had no doubt that the warning had come directly from Cassiel's lips and the timing of it had not been missed by him either.

It was a week until the child became of age and the decision had to be made. A side had to be chosen.

For the past year Darien had felt the rise of supernatural activity even from his secluded location. Both sides were preparing for the battle to claim the child and sway her decision or to kill her if she chose the other side.

Except for the dreams and the gradually growing need within him to protect the child, Darien had lived in peace since he had left the City of Lost Angels. It seemed that his father had turned the majority of his focus to finding the Chosen Child.

For nearly eighteen years, Darien had lived deep in the dense jungle of Ecuador; on the border Ecuador shared with Peru in South America. He was a good two hundred miles from any city and at least fifty from the closest signs of civilisation.

In the past few centuries the human race had extended their hand to consume almost the entire globe. Truly remote places were becoming extinct with every passing year.

Eighteen years ago Darien had left the city via human ways. The means of transportation in the human world had improved dramatically over the last century. Of course he could have left the city in seconds by summoning a portal with his Demonic power that would have instantly transported him anywhere he wished to go, but there was a good chance his father or any Demon nearby would have been able to sense it. They would have been on him in seconds.

In the supernatural world it was unheard of for an immortal being to travel via mortal means, which was one of the main reasons why his father had been unable to succeed in locating him.

It hadn't been until he'd reached Ambato, a city one hundred miles from Ecuador's capital that he'd shielded himself and used his Demonic power to summon a portal to take him deep into the jungle, far from mortal eyes. There he had used his Demonic power to build himself a residence on – or more accurately _in_ – the cliff face. With the entrance well hidden, any who looked upon the cliff face – mortal or otherwise – would see only the entrance to a small cave high up on the cliff face, but in reality, hidden in the brush of the small ledge, one would find that the rock race above the ledge was actually made of glass, kept from reflecting the sun's light by a tiny ember of his Demonic power.

Behind the glass was a dwelling that looked more at place inside a mansion than in the jungle. The walls and floors were smoothed polished rock, cut to form into straight walls or staircases. Furnished with black and white furnishings, from the black leather couch to the white marble and glass coffee table, to the black and white mats on the floor. The only colour except for the view beyond the windows, were the pieces of his art collection. One thing that the mortals had that the Demons and angels alike did not have was a limitless imagination and ability to create. Mortal art to him was fascinating and he had been collecting for hundreds of years. He even had a few portraits pained by Leonardo Di Vinci and Rembrandt, but personally he liked the work of Jean-Honoré Fragonard and Pierre Subleyras, especially Pierre's masterpiece, Diana and Endymion. It gave him a small piece of fleeting hope; the man Endymion in the picture was not a monster. He was a mortal man in love with a goddess.

The dwelling was easily seven hundred square feet and included a library with works from periods as vast as his art collection, a lake filled by the waters of the spring he had found lying beneath the mountain, and even a ballroom.

But ever since he had established himself here, he had used his Demonic powers as little as possible. Maybe a handful of times in the last decade.

That had been how he had been able to keep below the Demon radar for the past four decades, by using his Demon power as little as possible. Supernatural beings could sense its use from very vast distances and could easily trace it back to its source. That was unless it was well shielded.

So Darien travelled when he needed to by human ways. Although it had improved dramatically, he hated the polluted stench that was the price of the human advancements that lingered in the air all over the planet. It wasn't so bad here in the jungle, but in the city it was sickening.

It seemed that mankind's advancements were costing them greatly and in the end it would cost mankind their planet. The Earth was dying, and the humans knew it, but it seemed that greed ran deep in the mortal race; money and power was all that seemed to matter to them.

It made Darien miss the old days when mortals lived off of the land without destroying it. Back then the humans had appreciated what the earth had to give them. But all of that had been forgotten with the advancements in technology.

Darien rose from his enormous bed, easily twice the size of a king size, and walked to the floor to ceiling windows that over looked the dense jungle.

Darien strongly suspected that the humans would succeed in destroying themselves long before the Demonic World ever had the chance and that was the tragedy of the human race and the angels who battle every day to protect them.

His mother had been human but she had been so different from every other mortal he had ever known. She had seen the destruction that was being caused by her race – it had only just been beginning four hundred and eighty nine years ago – and it had brought great sadness to her eyes. Sadness that had made him sick to his stomach.

His mother had been an extraordinary and amazing woman. She had been saddened by the destruction her race was inflicting but she had loved her people. A love that had only grown once she had discovered the existence of angels and Demons after his father had uncaringly come into her life and had impregnated her with his Demon spawn.

But despite whom and what his father had been, his mother had loved her son from the womb. She had always loved him, had always believed that there was good in him and that he wasn't evil just because of the Demonic blood in his veins. She had raised him, teaching him the human ways and what it meant to be human; the gift that it was to be human.

She had even given him a human name, Darien. A name she had always called him, she had never once called him by his Demonic name, the one his father had given him, Endymion. She had said that she always wanted him to remember from where he had come, that he was part of the human world just as much as the supernatural one.

It hadn't been until he was eight years old that his Demonic father had appeared and had told them both that he was his son and that he had a place to take in the Demonic world. He had come to take Darien from his mother, having had no interest in raising his son from an infant. He had left Darien with his mother for her to raise until he had been old enough.

His mother had never lied to him about what his father was, and so Darien, even at the age of eight, hadn't been unprepared for his Demon father. Both he and his mother had known that he would come for him one day.

His mother had been powerless against his father, a very powerful, very physically strong King of the Demonic World on Earth. A Demon that cared for no one and would let nothing stand in his way of getting what he desired. Killing the woman who had given him a son would have meant nothing to him.

So Darien had made a deal with his father. A deal that could not be undone or broken. As long as he remained with his mother until he was of age, he would learn what his father wanted to teach him. He had seen the answer in his father's eyes, and had seen his mother's death by his intending hands, and he had threatened to take his life if his mother was harmed.

That had stopped and had made the Demon King think. Darien had seen the amusement in his father's eyes, even before he had laughed coldly, his eyes greedily upon him, and had said, "You are my son! You are a prince fitting my blood!"

And so his father had left him with his mother, only to take him for two days a week to teach him the ways of the Demonic World.

And for his mother's sake, Darien had learned. He had learned the laws and the ways of the Demon world and a few from the angel world. He had learned to use his Demonic power and he had learned the ways of battle at his father's hand.

The Demon king had never known what really had driven his son so relentlessly in his studies and his training. Darien had wanted to protect his mother yes, but not by heeding his father. No, he had wanted to learn enough so that one day he would be able to battle his father by the sword and defeat him. To assure that both he and his mother were safe and free of the Demon King's cruel hand.

But it hadn't been long before his father had seen his hatred and his burning determination in his eyes and had realised the power his mother held over him, that she was swaying him away from his father's ways. And that had been the reason why his father had murdered her.

His father had tried to blame it on the angels, claiming that they had killed her because she had bore the Demon prince into the world. This was when Cassiel had first come to him and their friendship had begun. Cassiel had told him the truth in such a way that he had not been able to deny his words.

It hadn't been beyond the realm of rationality that it had been Valac, his own father, who had killed his mother.

So it was irony that the action his father had committed to get his son back by his side had been the one that had cemented Darien's will to never be his father's son. He still desired to this very day nothing more than to defeat his father and take his head from his shoulders, but now his father knew that he was no loyal son and had become wary of him. Any chance to get close enough to his father to kill him had been lost.

So knowing he would never be able to get close enough to the Demon king to kill him, Darien had left, deciding to live in shadows and always be apart from the supernatural world. Secretly, he was still awaiting his chance to end his Demon father.

That chance was fast approaching. Darien could feel it, something big, something that would change everything, was on the horizon. It had been so for a while, only he had chosen to ignore it and to hide from it. As long as he remained hidden he was safe. It had become his way. He was no coward but he was no fool either. If his father found him it would either mean his submission or his death by his father's hand and Darien would rather die than give his father the pleasure of either.

But now the time for hiding was over. Cassiel had told him through his dreams that it was time, and so it was. What was coming was too big for him to hide from anymore. He had to take a part in the approaching battle, for if his father did get his hands on the Chosen and swayed her to Hell's side, he would never be able to hide, nor would he be able to kill his father. The Demon King would be far too powerful with the Chosen at his side.

Unstoppable.

And the idea of Heaven's strongest Angels on earth hunting her, trying to take her life, was more than enough to make him physically ill. Something that he as a Demon shouldn't have been capable of feeling.

Demons, even half bloods, didn't feel as humans did. Demons didn't get sick or feel hot or cold, although he could feel significant changes in hot or cold. He did not feel the blistering moist heat of the jungle and he didn't sweat, except while he dreamt. The dreams made him feel more human than even his mother had been able to.

Forcing his thoughts back on track Darien realised what he'd known from the beginning, despite his denial: Cassiel had been right that he hadn't been able to run.

Darien held out his hand and in a flash of black light, his sword appeared in his hand. A simple sword, the exact different from the gold jewel encrusted one of his father. It was simple, but strong and perfect. Perfectly balanced between the black hilt and the silver blade. In battle he was able to wield it as if it were a part of him he had been born with.

It was the sword of a true warrior, a solider who knew well how to wield it.

He stared at the blade for a long time; the golden light of the sun above gleamed on the silver surface of the blade.

'_The child, once grown, will determine not just the fate of the war and mankind for the next five thousand years, but your fate as well.'_ Cassiel's words from eighteen years ago echoed clearly in his mind, as if Cassiel were just now speaking them. _'This child will change things in ways you cannot imagine. . . . even bring about change in you.'_

Cassiel's words might be true, they may not. He did not dare allow himself to hope. There was no salvation for him, that he knew, but maybe he could do some good in the world. Make his birth, his existence, mean something. Make his mother's life mean something other than the woman who gave birth to the son of the Demon King.

With a heavy burdened sigh, Darien turned his back to the sun. As he turned, his sword disappeared magically from his hand and a full set of black clothes, including a black jacket, replaced his simple pair of black pants that he'd worn while sleeping.

With one last look around, Darien reached deep into his long dormant Demonic powers and summoned a portal. As he stepped reluctantly through it, everything in the dwelling disappeared and the stone magically stretched out until there was nothing left but the cliff face.

Everything as it had been before he had come. As if he'd never been there at all. As if he'd never been at all.

* * *

"Hey, Serena! Wake up girl! Table three is waiting for you!"

Serena blinked as she was pulled from her thoughts by one of her three best friends – her only three friends – Mina, who was currently waving a hand in front of her face.

Serena blinked again, realising that she'd zoned out – again – in the middle of the crowded diner where she worked six days a week as a waitress. She was standing in the middle of the floor between the counter and the line of booths with her pad in her hand. She had been staring blankly into space, lost in her thoughts.

Mina was still waving her hand in front of her face, trying to get her to snap out of it so she could get back to work before she lost her job.

Serena looked into Mina's warm baby blue eyes, so much like her own. In fact they looked so alike that they were often mistaken for sisters, with nearly identical blue eyes, long golden hair – although hers was longer than Mina's – and flawless skin, although Mina's was tan while hers was milky pale. Being real blood sisters was something Serena would have sold her soul to make true.

"Serena! Snap out of it!" Even when Mina was annoyed and impatient, her voice still sounded cheerful. "Earth to Serena! Don't make me slap you! Say something, girl!"

It was suddenly clear to Serena that Mina had been trying to get her attention for a while. How long had she been standing there in the middle of the room, not moving, staring into space?

God only knew.

"I'm here." Serena told her quickly before Mina had a chance to carry through on her threat. She wouldn't put it passed Mina to slap her – most likely lightly – to wake her up. Mina was a great friend, and even though she had the kind of determination and confidence that never quit, she didn't have the patience of a saint.

She was amazing, with her long blond hair that she kept pulled back with a big red bow and a full luscious and curvy figure with long legs that brought in enough tips every day from male customers to pay her rent for a week. She was the kind of girl who looked like she should be on a magazine cover, even in her ridiculous waitress uniform, instead of in a diner waiting tables.

And Mina's personality was reflected in the cheerful and happy smile she was never without. Mina always saw the best in everything, in everyone, a quality that their other two friends agreed that she shared with Serena, and she was loving and loyal and kind. Even when she became a rich and famous singer, she would still be doing as much good for everyone else that she could.

"That's good!" Mina exclaimed, looking relieved and then puzzled. "Where were you at? I've been standing here for two minutes trying to snap you out of it! I was worried that you were in a trance or something!"

Serena searched her mind for what had made her zone out. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened; she hadn't seen or heard anything that had made her freeze like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. One moment she'd been heading for one of her tables, ready to take their order, the next she had _felt_ something that had made everything else but the feeling unimportant.

It hadn't been an unpleasant feeling but it hadn't been a pleasant one either. Out of no where she had felt . . . she had felt . . . well, for lack of a better description she had felt as if something important, something crucial to everything, had just happened.

No, not _happened._ _Arrived_. That was the word she was looking for. It had been so strong and intense that it had shot through her as if she had been hit by a bolt of lightening that had shocked her to her core.

What in heaven's name had that been? To use one of Mina's favourite quotes.

"What's wrong with her?" Asked Lita, the second of her three best friends and waitresses at the Blue Moon Diner.

Lita was almost Mina's exact opposite. If Mina was the delicate curvy princess then Lita was the – anything but delicate – _very_ curvy Amazon warrior queen. Towering a full head over Serena, Lita was tall and athletic with a very generous bra size. With thick brown hair that she always wore in a ponytail and a fierce fiery determination that burned in her emerald green eyes, she was often referred too as hot. She was capable in several martial arts and often fought in competitions. A tomboy to the core, Lita was never seen in a dress or a skirt unless it was a VERY special occasion. The only thing that had ever come close to a VERY special occasion in Lita's book had been when she'd been invited to a black and white ball by one of her boyfriends.

Although Lita was loving and kind and fiercely loyal, she tended to go through a lot of guys, never able to find what it was that she was looking for. What it was that she was looking for, not even they, her friends – who had known each other since kindergarten – knew exactly what it was.

But going through so many guys never discouraged her. Lita knew what she was looking for and she was never going to stop looking for it.

But Lita's most dominant characteristic was that Lita was not only loyal to her friends, but protective of them too, especially of Serena.

And the final of her friends, but not the least – there was no least when it came to them, they were all sisters until the end – was Amy. A shy girl who was just as small as Serena was, but so much more intelligent. With short hair and thin figure, Amy didn't immediately capture a guy's attention and she seemed to prefer it that way. Shy and quiet, but extremely intelligent – brain surgeon intelligent – she was another opposite to Mina and Lita. She studied hard and loved a good book, and she had a big, loving and generous heart. She wanted to do good in the world, to change it for the better. It was only a matter of time before she became a doctor and started curing diseases left and right.

The one thing Amy did have in common with the rest of them was a loving heart and unwavering loyalty. She was quiet and logical, but there wasn't anything any of them wouldn't do for each other.

They were family, an unbreakable family and together they could and would get through anything.

"She's probably just tired." Amy said in her soft, concerned tone as she walked passed carrying a plate of fries and a milkshake in her hands.

"Or maybe just stressed from all that tension she never works off." Lita suggested, sounding accusing for not finding an outlet for the stress Serena knew that they all knew she carried.

"A boyfriend might be able to help you with that." Mina said suggestively through a cheerful smile.

Serena froze, the dark, unwelcome memory rising in her mind, but she quickly squashed it down before it could play before her eyes and bring her down again. She was only just starting to get over what had happened to her last and only serious boyfriend.

Dating just didn't feel right, it never had. She was like Lita in a way in knowing that she was looking for something. She didn't know what it was but whatever it was, she was unable to find it. So, in the end – which had been last year – she had decided to stay away from men until she figured out what it was that she was looking for.

Mina must have seen the flash of sadness and pain flash in her eyes because her expression softened, becoming more serious with concern and caring. "Are you alright, Serena? Seriously? You can tell me if anything is wrong, you know that."

Serena's heart squeezed at the obvious love and caring in Mina's eyes. Serena had had so little of that throughout her life, through that was through the fault of no one. The three girls had been the one constant in her life, while family and anything else she cared about seemed to meet a tragic fate around her, the girls had always been there.

Without them, Serena didn't know if she'd be able to continue on. They were all she had left and her heart could never take losing them.

She was alone enough now as it was.

* * *

A female child who was on the verge of becoming a woman.

Just like in his dream, this Darien had expected, but not _this_ female. It was evident that he had not gotten a true view of her in his dreams.

The chosen children were mostly male, a female child was rare in the truest, strongest sense of the word. To Darien's knowledge, according to the talk of the older Demons, the last female chosen child before the one who had just passed on had been born over sixty-five thousand years ago in the golden lands of what was now called Ancient Egypt. She had been born the equivalent of the reigning queen and had been the greatest ruler of the time, even though time had forgotten her and all the great deeds she had done for the good of the world.

After her death, the legions of Hell had erased her, and her deeds, from the human histories.

Darien watched the new Chosen Child as she juggled her books and her grocery bags as she struggled to open the door of the shabby apartment building. She looked tired, stressed and almost run down, as if she'd had a very long hard day. Strangely, there was a voice within him that urged him to help her, to introduce himself and see if her skin was really as soft as it looked.

He found himself wondering if how she made his feel in his dreams really was how she would make him feel in real life. Only in real life he would not be staring at her, no he would have her in his arms, his hands exploring her naked flesh . . .

Darien blinked, almost stunned. Yes, he was as male as any, mortal or immortal, but his lust had never been of importance to him. Of course, he'd had lovers throughout the centuries, human and Demonic women, but never had he wanted them any of them like he suddenly wanted the Chosen.

What was it about her that brought out so much in him that he had thought buried or non-existent? Maybe what Cassiel had said eighteen years ago was plausible, that she would bring about changes in him. But what changes? Would they be changes that he welcomed?

With that thought, and the so many questions plaguing his mind, Darien replayed the memory made only hours ago when he had appeared in a back alley here in Los Angeles. It had been like stepping from one room to the other through an open doorway. One moment he had been in Ecuador in South America and the next he had been in Los Angeles in North America. He had stepped out of the alley and into the darkening streets of the City of Angels, and he had found himself face to face with Cassiel, in the same vessel he had worn eighteen years ago.

"I warned you. You could not run from this." Cassiel had said before Darien could utter a sound. His face had turned far more serious than it ever had for as long as Darien had known the angel. "Go to the child now. The time has come. The child needs you. You must protect the child at all costs and keep the child from the hands of both sides until the choice has been made."

And Cassiel had touched his forehead to the tips of his fingers. An image of a low class apartment building flashed in his mind and he'd known where in the never-ending city to find it.

"Why me?" Darien asked as he blinked away the image only to find the angel was gone.

Cassiel was a pain in his ass even though he was the closest thing Darien had to a friend, but this was one warning from Cassiel he would heed. Never had the angel seemed so serious and never before had the angel touched him.

That brief encounter with the angel had banished any lingering doubts he had about returning to the city, and ultimately, the war.

And now that he'd truly seen her, a creature so beautiful that angels themselves paled in comparison to her, Darien knew there was no escape now until fate played out its course. But it was more than her beauty that called out to his dark and empty heart. She was so small, so feminine and fragile and helpless. Even to his immortal eyes she was, still in many ways, a child, even by mortal standards. She was so vulnerable. She wouldn't stand a chance against Demon nor angel, even when her powers began to emerge, which wouldn't be too far off, if they hadn't already.

This was one of the reasons why females weren't often born as Chosen Ones. Firstly, human females did not belong in war and secondly, their emotions made them unpredictable, complicated and difficult to handle. It also didn't help that they were so helpless and physically weak.

With one hand he could break every bone in her delicate little body and then squash her flat. Not that he ever would, the thought alone turned his stomach. Not to mention that he would be stalked and tormented by Cassiel for the rest of eternity.

Some things were worse than hell.

With any luck, her powers had already begun to emerge. She wouldn't be strong enough to be a pain in the ass to him – yet – but the first of her new abilities she would receive would be sensitivity to the supernatural. A sixth sense, so to speak. She would be able to feel it when any of the supernatural world were close or when their powers were used. If she was feeling it now, she wouldn't know what she was feeling. In time, when trained, she would be able to sense every Angel, Demon and being of Hell within a hundred mile radius and sense what side they were on, how powerful they were and so on and so forth. She would even be able to, in time, locate any supernatural being she wished no matter where on earth they were.

There were very good reasons as to why this Chosen was coveted.

Night had fallen hours ago and even to mortal eyes, it was unusually quiet and deserted, but to Darien's eyes, it was anything but.

Ever since that night seventeen years ago, the legions of Hell had been searching for the Chosen Child, and there was no doubt that his father had searched the city over more times than even an immortal being was capable of counting. And for seventeens years the angels had succeeded in cloaking her from immortal senses from the moment after her birth, but the Chosen's nearing date of age was fast approaching and unbeknownst to the child herself, her powers were growing and starting to leak through the angel's cloaking shields that surrounded her.

It would not be long before Hell found her, if they hadn't already. He could, from where he stood, sense her. The pulse from her power was weak but it was there and it was unmistakable.

And if he could sense her, others could as well. On both sides. And currently t, it seemed that Cassiel had sent him to her too late. It seemed that she'd been sensed by more than him.

The angels were meant to be watching over her until she made the Choice, which meant that angels and the legions of Hell alike should never have been able to get near her without the smiting wrath of the highest, most powerful angels that rarely left the clouds of heaven. Including him. He should have been smited from the face of the Earth the moment he had stepped out of his portal across the street from where she lived.

But he hadn't. Not a peep from a single angel. Darien had to wonder if Cassiel had had anything to do with that.

In the shadows across the street, Darien watched as two Tracker Demons stepped out of the shadows, each with a Hellhound at their heel. Stepping out of the shadows made the Demons visible to human eyes but Hell Hounds were always unseen except by the immortals and those they were seeking.

Darien had no doubt of whom it was that they were seeking. If the Chosen Child, who was barely a woman, saw them, they would terrify her. And that would not help in getting her to cooperate with him.

Larger than any mortal dog could ever be, even the largest of breeds. The closest human animal Hellhounds could be compared to were impossibly large wolves without their fur or their soft flesh. They actually sized closer to narrow, muscly bears.

A Hellhound was a fearsome creature to behold, even to the immortals. With exceptionally rough thick leather hides plagued with scars from battles past and glowing blood-red soulless eyes, they weren't creatures of this world. Their teeth were longer than a human hand and their senses rivalled no other creature, mortal or immortal. The Hellhounds found who or what they were seeking in a very small amount of time. It had only been the protection of the angels that had kept them from her trail, but it seemed that even the power of the angels wasn't strong enough to conceal the powers of this child so close to the eve of her Ascension.

Hellhounds were also immune to the power of most angels and Demons, only the strongest could yield power over them, which was why their handlers had to either be strong upper class Demons or work for such a Demon.

Like his father.

But only with an immortal blade could a Demon kill a Hellhound and due to their impossibly stronger-than-diamond hard hides and bones, it wasn't easily done. A Hellhound was near impossible to kill unless one knew exactly how, even with an immortal blade. Except for a blade, the blood of an angel was the only other way to kill a Hellhound. It was their only poison.

It was fortunate that Darien had been raised as the son of the Demon King, as a prince and future king. He had been taught and trained by his father and the very best warriors of Hell. He not only knew how to slay a Hellhound, he had done it before, more than once. His father, in the beginning, had sent them to find him when he'd disappeared. The King had wanted his son back at any cost, but Darien had been too well trained. He had slaughtered both the Hellhound and handlers. After losing no less than a half a dozen Hellhounds and Handlers, his father had given up on sending the beasts after him.

Hellhounds were thankfully few and hard to come by. Since the animals were so ferocious and evil right down to their cellular level inside their twisted bodies, mating rarely yielded in offspring. Especially since the males killed most female Hellhounds during mating. The females that did survive were the most vicious, ferocious and deadly creatures in the Underworld that no handler, no matter how powerful, could control.

Darien watched the Hellhounds, studying their behaviour. They were on a trail. They had no doubt found her. They were too active on their enchanted leashes not to have.

Now that a Hellhound had found her trail, there was no place the Chosen could run or hide. Not without help.

There was only one way for a Demon to truly lose a Hellhound, but there were a few other ways however to buy time by confusing scents, just as with human dogs, but they never lasted for long. A Hellhound could even follow a trail through magical transportation portals.

So, unless Cassiel chose to pay him a visit as an angel's scent was one of the few things that could repel a Hellhound, there was only one other way viable for him to get the Hellhounds off the Chosen's scent.

Darien pulled his enchanted blade from its sheath on his belt. A blade so powerful, the only other blade greater outside of hell itself was the sword of the Demon King on Earth. His enchanted blade was more than able enough to kill a Hellhound.

With blade in hand, Darien studied the situation. The Chosen was on the second floor in her bedroom, while the two Hellhounds and the two Demon handlers were approaching the front door of the apartment building. Not one of them had sensed his presence. Thanks to centuries of hiding, he was well hidden beneath his cloaking shield, but if he summoned a portal or used any of his Demonic powers, both the handlers and the Hellhounds would instantly sense him.

He had to get the Chosen out of the apartment and he had run out of time. He should have acted the moment he'd laid eyes on her but he'd hesitated and now because of that he was going to have to fight.

Fighting two middle class Demons and two Hellhounds at once wasn't outside his capabilities but never had he fought with someone to protect within the vicinity. When his mother had been killed, he'd arrived too late to defend her.

History would not repeat itself tonight, Darien silently swore to himself with fierce determination. He had failed his mother, he would not fail to protect the Chosen.

Deciding on his best course of action, Darien stepped back further into the shadows and summoned a small ball of his black Demonic power to his hand.

To mortal eyes the ball would appear to be a dimly glowing ball of black light that moved like thick smoke. To immortal eyes it crackled with black lightening and red angry sparks.

Concentrating, Darien formed a powerful shield around it, shielding it from both sight and sense.

Satisfied that he had shielded it efficiently enough, Darien released it from his hand. Sending the ball of Demonic power a mental command, he watched as it slowly lowered to the ground at his feet, where it stayed, unaffected by the icy wind. It was his own power; wielding the power to his command was as natural to him as blinking.

With his diversion in place, Darien bent his knees until he was crouching low to the ground. Concentrating his lithe skilled body and his Demonic power, with his senses focused on his surroundings, he sprang into a leap with only a fraction of his strength. He flew with superhuman speed skywards, leaping high into the air without a single sound.

Darien soared though the air; rising higher and higher until finally he allowed himself to succumb to gravity once more. Falling through the empty air without fear, he gracefully landed soundlessly on the roof of the nine story high apartment building. He remained on his feet, barely even feeling the impact of his landing with his blade still held firmly in hand.

As an Immortal, Darien had been born with superhuman strength, speed, agility, grace and unmatched senses. He could hear clearly for miles, he could see through any time of day or night for incredible distances, and he could sense all movement within a mile in the city, further in less populated areas. Further, if he concentrated that little bit more.

As the son of the strongest Demon on Earth, even though he was half human, Darien was a very powerful being in the Demonic world.

One who would have been a feared and revered prince, even amongst the pure blooded Demons that saw themselves above the so-called 'half-breeds'.

Darien had been born with the strengths of the Demons and very few of their weaknesses. He could feel hot and cold, even though neither affected him. He also had a beating heart, unlike Demons and angels alike. But one of the main differences between him and his father was that his human face was his true form. He had been born a human child, not a Demon child. As long as he stayed away from his father and the birthright his father believed he had been born into, Darien never again had to wear his Demon face that had come to him a puberty. His father wore a human face but it was only a mask over his Demon face. That day had been the one and only time that Darien had worn this second form that was in truth his strongest form.

His body was that of a half blooded Demon but he wanted to believe that he had his mother's human soul. He believed however that he didn't have a figurative human heart. He didn't feel positive emotions other than the love he'd had for his mother and the emotions he felt from the Chosen in his dreams.

For so long he had believed that his chance of ever having a human heart had been murdered with his mother, but now the tiniest hope had been born within him that he may have a second chance in the Chosen. Maybe the changes Cassiel had spoken of would be that she would somehow be able to give him the chance to feel as the mortals did. If it were even possible, which the logical side of himself doubted.

For most of his life, even now, all he felt was hatred and anger, both for his father and the Demon world. Only now, there was something protective within him, something that had been born with the Chosen.

But even by some miracle – which did not happen for Demons, miracles were the work of angels – even if she could get him to feel, what good would it do to him? It would change very little. He was an outcast; there was no place in the worlds in which he fit. He was friends with an angel but he was as far from that world as fire was to water. He had been fathered by a Demon but he wanted no part in that world. He did not belong there. He wasn't merciless and he liked to believe that he wasn't a completely evil creature.

As for the human world, there was no place for him there either. The humans were blind, selfish, greedy creatures that were insistent upon bringing about their own destruction.

The truth was that there was no place in any of the Three Worlds – Heaven, Hell and the Earth - for him, so as he had for so long he strived to be no part of any of the three worlds.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand instead of his own heavily burdened mind, Darien moved with superhuman speed to the far corner of the building, away from the eyes of the Demons, being vigilant in keeping his shields raised and as powerful as they'd always been. Without any falter to his stride, Darien stepped off of the corner of the building and fell through the air until he landed on the outer railing of the rusted metal fire escape.

Again there wasn't a single sound, even to his immortal ears.

Since the Demons hadn't bothered shielding themselves, Darien could sense their movements as clearly as he had been able to see them while standing on the other side of the street from them.

They were preparing to enter her apartment through a portal. Their orders were no doubt to take her alive. The main purpose of Hellhounds was search and destroy. That was the reason for the Demon's brief hesitation. They were taking precautions to prevent the Hellhounds from killing the Chosen before they could stop them.

Darien turned his full attention to the four creatures of hell, waiting expectantly.

And there it was, the faintest flare of Demonic power, most likely from summoning magical muzzles for the Demonic beasts.

He had seconds and that was if the fates were on his side this night.

Darien jumped lightly, jumping off the railing and once again falling through the air. As he fell, Darien twisted his body until he was facing the building, and when he reached the bottom of the third floor fire escape, he reached out and grasped hold of the cold metal bar and swung himself lithely onto the second floor fire escape.

It had been the long way around but they hadn't sensed or heard him.

Darien found himself looking into the window of the Chosen's tiny living room. In that one glimpse he had seen old worn and well used furnishings, several book cases overflowing with a collection of books that was impressive for a mortal, stained fading carpet and also saw that the window was locked.

Not wanting to make a sound to alarm her or the two Demons on the street out front to his presence, Darien threw out his cloaking shield to surround the window lock and with his power, turned the lock, effectively unlocking the window. He had needed so little of his power to unlock the window that he hadn't even had to strengthen the cloaking shield. There was almost no chance that they had sensed that, they were hardly upper level Demons.

Any other immortal being would have either used a portal to enter the apartment, walked through the wall like a ghost or ripped the window right out.

Hell, Darien – like any other Demon – could have made the entire wall disappear with a mere thought and once inside put it back exactly as it had been, but he'd learned long ago that doing things the human way was often the best way to remain below the radar, to use a mortal phrase. It had become habit to him now, doing things the long and the hard way, as opposed to using his power. He used his power as little and as rarely as possible.

Sliding smoothly through the window, feet first, Darien straightened up and quickly scanned with both his eyes and his senses. In less than three seconds he knew that the Chosen was still in her bedroom, changing into her night clothes after the shower she had finished minutes ago. Night clothes weren't ideal for what was coming next but he would have to deal with that later.

The thought that she wasn't suitably dressed a single room away did more for him than his father's entire harem – filled with dozens of both Demon and mortal, scarcely dressed women – ever had.

But Darien didn't have time to pay his long ignored libido any heed now. Maybe later, after he got the Chosen out of there to safety, he'd take a go at bedding her. Not that he had high hopes for success; she was the Chosen. She was protected and coveted by many. Not to mention that the Chosen females were often said to be wilful and headstrong. Such inner strength was needed in order to face not only the horrors and difficult trials of the immortal war, but also to wield their great power. Unprepared for it, the Chosen could be killed merely from receiving half of their power.

But right now, the Chosen might not live the night if he didn't get his ass into gear and focus on getting her out of there! Scolding himself, Darien turned his mind's eyes to the small ball of power he'd left shielded on the other side of the street.

And with a mere thought, the protection shield around the small ball of his Demonic power dissipated and the power flared briefly before disappearing.

Darien turned his mental focus to the two Demon hunters. As he had expected, they had taken the bait. They had felt the power and now knew that someone else was in the vicinity. With the chosen so close and their rewards for bringing her to his father generous, they would not risk losing her to another Demon. Demons were evil, greedy and distrustful, which in turn made them predictable. The Highest Demonic Warriors had more sense and intelligence which made the far more dangerous, but these ones that he was dealing with now obeyed orders. They didn't give them.

Watching in his mind's eye, Darien saw them turn away from the apartment building and search the street.

Good, it had worked. That should buy him a few minutes.

He hoped.

* * *

Serena felt better after her shower. The stress of the day had abated enough for her to at least relax for an hour or so before she retired to bed for the night. Not only had her day been stressful and tiresome, but for some reason unknown to her, she was edgy and for some reason had a feeling of dread hanging over her, as if something bad was coming her way. She'd felt that way since she'd zoned out after she'd felt that . . . shockwave, for lack of a better word.

But she had managed to convince herself that she was only being paranoid. As she'd been all week. A very strange week at that. It was a week until her eighteenth birthday and from almost exactly a week ago, two weeks before her birthday, things had become strange.

She had been frequently feeling pulses, not quite as intense as the one she'd felt today, for no apparent reason and she'd been getting feelings about people that she couldn't explain. Somehow she'd known that a customer last week had been carrying a gun and was planning to use it soon. Not in the diner, but soon. She'd almost been able to _feel_ his malice.

And the sense of dread was growing stronger within her, but Serena couldn't understand why. She hadn't felt like this the day her father and stepmother had been killed in the fire – her real mother had died giving birth to her. Her stepmother had been pregnant with her baby brother at the time of her death. She hadn't felt like this when her only serious boyfriend had died tragically in a car accident and she hadn't felt like this when her only other living relative after her parents had been killed, had died of a heart attack. It seemed that everyone she loved died. She was alone and after everything her life had thrown at her, she liked it that way.

All Serena had left of those she loved were her closest friends, Mina, Lita and Amy, her three co-workers who worked as waitresses at the all night diner four blocks away. They had tried to make her feel better today by inviting her to a girl's night out, but she hadn't been in the mood. The sense of dread hanging over her head was just too strong to dismiss, even for a couple of hours.

Serena sighed deeply, deciding to distract herself with one of her favourite books. When her parent's apartment had burned down with them trapped inside, there had been little left. What had survived surprisingly had been most of her parent's book collection, a little of her real mother's jewellery, some of her clothes and her parent's wedding rings, which she'd had to have professionally cleaned.

At the age of sixteen, after her aunt had died, Serena had managed to get emancipated and with it she'd gotten her freedom. It had prevented her from being placed in a foster home. At the age of seventeen she had inherited a small portion of the money that had been left to her after her parents had died. It hadn't been much but it had been enough to get her a slightly better apartment in a better neighbourhood – this one wasn't half as bad as her first apartment in her first neighbourhood – and with just a little bit more money, she could finish high school in the next semester.

When she turned twenty one, she would receive the bulk of the money which would be more than enough to pay for college and support her until she was able to get a good job. She hated the idea of not working with her best friends anymore but she knew that it wouldn't affect their friendship. They would still see each other all the time.

That was all Serena wanted. After her parents had died, all of her dreams had died with them, now all she wanted was to be normal, to have a normal job and live a normal life. Maybe one day she would meet someone who loved her and she would have a child of her own. She didn't want to be alone anymore, as she'd been since her parents had died.

Serena had loved her aunt, but her aunt had been old and sick and had needed more care as the years had passed. She hadn't had the energy or life left in her for a young girl, but it kept her out of a foster home and had taught her to look after herself.

And her boyfriend, she had loved him but not as much as she'd wanted or hoped too. He had worked a lot and they hadn't been able to spend a lot of time with each other during the work week, but they'd had fun together and they'd had a lot in common.

Sighing again and forcing the sadness-drenched thoughts from her mind, Serena opened her bedroom door and stepped into her living room. She would choose a book to read in bed before she tried to sleep.

The icy night air hit her warm still damp skin like a slap in the face.

Scanning the room Serena immediately noticed her cheap stained white curtains hanging over the window by the fire escape were flapping in the steady breeze coming in through the open window.

Alarm filled her and a voice warning caution screamed at her. Serena hurriedly rescanned the room, looking for something out of place, some sign of an intruder, but she saw nothing.

In her living room at least.

That only left the bathroom as the small kitchen was in the corner of the living room. There were only four rooms in the tiny apartment. The living room with adjoining kitchen, the only bedroom she had just stepped out of that was the room which held all of her valuables which had mostly been her parents', the bathroom and a tiny closet.

Backing warily into the bedroom, Serena hastily retrieved the baseball bat that she kept beside the bed, the only self protection she could easily afford, and stepped back out into her living room. There was no place for anyone to hide. The curtains were short and almost see through, the couch was against the wall in a corner of the room, as were the book cases, and the small aged hardwood coffee table was too small for even a puppy to hide beneath.

Deciding that it was safe to assume that no one was hiding in any of her kitchen cupboards other than mice, Serena moved as silently as she could to the bathroom door. She had just had a shower and the door was still ajar since she'd left it open so the steam would dissipate instead of causing mould to grow on her bathroom ceiling.

The old beaten door creaked every time it was moved in the slightest. If someone had gone in there, she'd have heard it. Still, being wary and on guard and holding the bat high, Serena nudged the door open to find-.

Nothing.

The only movement in her tiny bathroom was water dripping from the old, grim coated shower head that no amount of scrubbing seemed to remove. There was no other place someone could hide. There was only the small shower stall with no glass, only a shower curtain to keep the water inside the stall in one corner. The shower curtain hadn't been pulled closed after she had gotten out of the shower. And other than that there was only the toilet and the cracked bathroom sink.

What the-?

Obviously, there was no one in the apartment, unless they were invisible. So how was the window suddenly open?

Unable to come up with a logical answer, Serena shrugged dismissively. She must have opened the window and forgotten about it. There was no where else in the dimly light apartment for someone to hide.

Shivering from the cold, Serena walked over to the window and closed and locked it. She guardedly scanned the fire escape, but there was nothing.

The old rusted fire escape was empty.

It was strange that she would open the window and forget about it, especially since it was an unusually icy spring but that was climate change for you. The window hadn't been open in weeks before now, it had been too cold.

Holding the baseball bat limply in her hand, Serena turned around, intending to carry on with her plans of getting one of her parent's books and going to bed since the apartment was now freezing and she had very poor heating. It would take hours to warm the apartment and it would cost a lot of the little money she had when she received the heating bill.

It was then that Serena realised that a tall figure with broad shoulders was standing on the other side of the room only a matter of feet away from her in the tiny apartment.

Serena cried out, alarmed at the sight of someone in her apartment.

Serena hastily raised the bat, intending to strike him if he came one step closer to her. How the hell had he gotten into her apartment unseen and then had remained unseen during her search?

Serena studied him. He was the most handsome man she'd ever seen, the supermodels on the front of GQ failed in comparison. It was like comparing the hunchback of Notre Dame to Hercules. He was dressed in very high priced black pants and what looked like a back silk shirt beneath a heavy black overcoat that went down to his calves. After wearing pre-owned clothing for the past five years, Serena couldn't help but wonder if the fabric he was wearing was as soft and smooth and warm as it looked.

Pushing aside the ridiculous and inappropriate thought, Serena turned her attention to the man himself. He was tall with the blackest hair she'd ever seen, as black as a raven's wing. His shoulders were broad and his waist was narrow with long powerful legs. He didn't look big and muscly but she knew instantly that he was far stronger than he appeared. There was too much confidence in those ocean deep, dark blue eyes that looked so sad and soulful at the same time.

He had the air around him of being a very wealthy man who was around the age of twenty three and who looked as if he was about to go on a date with a glamorous supermodel or famous actress instead of standing in the middle of her living room.

Despite the situation, Serena felt her body react to him with a feminine purr and she silently cursed, reminding herself that he'd just broken into her apartment.

But why? What was he doing here in her small shabby apartment? He looked as out of place as a healthy blooming rose did in a garden full of dead weeds.

Serena completed her assessment of him and she knew three things with absolute certainty. Firstly, he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen, secondly he was somehow different from all the other men she'd ever known and it wasn't just because of his looks. And lastly, he was far more dangerous than he seemed. There was something about him that screamed it, that put all of her senses on high alert, all screaming at her to run from him as fast and as far as she could.

Although, he had also made a completely different side of her perk to attention in response to his masculine and dominating presence. Just looking at him made her want to jump right into his arms, rip his expensive clothes off his athletic body and have her way with him without so much as a word.

Serena blinked. She'd completely lost her mind. It had finally happened, all the stress and loneliness had gotten to her and she'd finally cracked.

He was dangerous and had shown her no evidence to the contrary after breaking into her apartment at night.

And the fact that he had a long sharp silver sword with a black hilt held tightly in his hand did not help matters with her fear at all.

Why was he in her apartment? How had he gotten in? And why on earth was he holding a sword?

Had he come to hurt or murder her? Well, if he had, then he was in for the shock of his life. She may be small, but she wasn't going down without a fight. She was going to give him hell before she went.

Serena glared into his eyes, silently threatening him to bring it on. She was going to fight with everything she had in her.

At first Darien had seen wariness and fear in her watchful eyes when she had first realised his presence. Although fear and wariness had remained in her gorgeous eyes, he had not missed the flash of feminine approval that she'd been too slow to hide, and then, without reason or cause, resolved determination flared within her eyes. Determination that sparked admiration in him as she faced him with her wooden baseball bat.

Darien knew to mortals he was perceived as good looking and dangerous in their eyes, they always looked upon him with fear, even the appreciative females. They had never known and had never wanted to know what it was that he was, but some part of them did recognise him and his kind for what they were.

She tightened her hold on the bat and Darien realised that her intention was to fight him, to hit him with the bat even while dressed in pink pyjamas with white bunnies all over them.

Darien had admired few mortals in his immortal life but he found himself admiring her. He was nearly four times her size, not to mention stronger and older and holding a sword, and yet she was clearly intending to fight instead of run away. That took courage. Or foolishness.

And even though this Chosen female didn't know it, she had the power inside of her to knock him flat on his ass with a wave of her hand and to take his immortal life with a second wave of her small delicate hand.

Darien couldn't believe it. This child, who was barely a woman, had been born to decide the fate of the war between Heaven and Hell? This was the one born to fight Demons, or Angels depending on her choice, and decide the fate of the eternal war? What had her creator been thinking?

This human looked as if she wasn't able to fight off a thirteen year old boy, even though the flare of set determination in her eyes told him otherwise.

If he hadn't been able to sense her power, Darien would have believed that Cassiel had made a mistake and had sent him to the wrong mortal, but she was the Chosen. He couldn't deny that, no matter how much he wanted to. For her sake.

The desire to protect this tiny, radiant creature flared intensely within him without warning, nearly knocking him off his feet. He had been tasked by an angel, a friend, with the duty of protecting this child, and he would do just that, whatever it took. Until she received her true power, anyway, she would need protection.

A voice inside of him urged him to be careful with her, to speak his purpose here gently so not to scare her more so, but an even louder voice born from his warrior side, told him that there wasn't time for subtlety or tenderness.

He had to get her out of there before the two Demons downstairs realised that the Chosen was no longer alone in her apartment.

Darien stepped forward with the intention of taking hold of her and summoning a portal to get her out of there. He couldn't risk killing the two Demons as well as the Hellhounds with her there. He would have to portal somewhere more appropriate for a battle and battle there with her somewhere safe, or as safe as he could find in the limited around of time that he would have.

Serena felt her body tense warily as he moved towards her, closing the distance between them in seconds. Without thinking about it, Serena swung her bat as hard as she could, her aim set for the side of his head.

Unfortunately, Serena had underestimated just how tall he really was and her bat hit his shoulder with no act on his part to defend himself from her blow.

A split second later, Serena found out why he hadn't acted to defend himself.

It was like hitting a solid concrete wall. The force of her swing vibrated up the bat and into her hands, wrists, arms and shoulders. The blow rattled her entire form and she cried out in pain, releasing the bat from her throbbing hands and jumping back from him.

What the hell? Was the guy _that_ solid or had she underestimated his bulk as well as his height because it hadn't felt like flesh she'd hit!

Who the hell was this guy? And why did hitting him feel like hitting Superman? Only this man literally felt like he was made from steel!

And to make matters worse the guy – who was still drop dead gorgeous even though she was frustrated beyond all hell – looked amused! She hadn't hurt him at _all_!

In her frustration, Serena momentarily forgot about her wary fear and the fact that he'd broken into her apartment carrying a _sword_! "Who the hell are you? _What_ the hell are you?"

Something about her statement brought sadness to his amused eyes, eyes that were so deep she could drown in them, but it only lasted a moment before the grave seriousness took its place once again. The exact same expression he'd been wearing a few seconds ago before she'd done something to amuse him.

"I'm here to protect you." His voice was smooth, deep and almost hypnotic despite the grave seriousness in his tone. "And we're out of time."

Serena could only blink at him for a long moment before it dawned on her that he was nuts. Just her luck, drop dead gorgeous and completely out of his mind. She wondered if he was on drugs. That would explain him not reacting with pain to being hit in the shoulder with a baseball bat. Drugs could make someone seem stronger and immune to pain, couldn't they? Hadn't she heard something about someone, being juiced up on PCP or something, had done things that a normal person couldn't?

"I have no money or drugs here." Serena told him as she slowly bent her knees, lowering her hand slowly towards the bat she'd dropped, her wary fear swiftly returning. If she could knock him out, she could tie him up and call the police.

And then, without warning, he spoke words that she didn't understand. She didn't even recognise the language. It had sounded almost made up because Serena was certain that she'd never heard anything like it, but she had recognised the harsh tone. He had been swearing; the tone was universal despite the language.

Serena blinked, suddenly realising that the sight before her eyes was not what it had been or should have been. The last thing she'd known before he'd sworn, she'd been standing in her living room glaring up at him.

Now, however, Serena found herself on her bed – where he'd thrown her, only she couldn't even remember being moved – and he was standing in the doorway with his back to her, his sword held tightly in his hand. His stance was tense and battle ready, he was preparing to fight.

Serena blinked again.

Who?

It was only the two of them unless he had friends who had suddenly also appeared out of thin air.

What the hell was going on? How had he moved so fast and how the hell had she ended up on her bed in her bedroom without even realising that she was being moved! She hadn't even felt his hands on her to pick her up!

Darien swore at himself again, using the Demon language he'd learned as a child years ago. He rarely used the Demonic language except to curse with as his father had commonly done. Luckily his mother hadn't known it or else she would have boxed his ears rather than look at him sadness when he'd spoken in the Demonic tongue.

Dismissing the thought and the memories of his mother for the moment, Darien cursed at himself again for not getting her out of the apartment when he'd had the chance.

While the Chosen had told him that she had no money or drugs in her apartment – the truth other than some aspirin in the bathroom – Darien had sensed Demon power and had known that a portal was seconds from opening in the middle of the room.

So fast that the Chosen hadn't even known what was happening, Darien had picked her up, put her on her bed in her bedroom and had placed a very powerful shield around the room. The shield would prevent anyone – or anything – from getting into the room by any means other than the doorway at his back, the doorway which he now physically blocked.

The only way anything was going to get to her was over his dead body and he hoped that wouldn't be the case. If he failed to protect her, he would die leaving her defenceless and at the hands of his father and the fiends of Hell. He wished that fate on no mortal, let alone the tiny female Chosen behind him.

Fortunately, the shield also prevented her from getting out by any other means than the door. She wouldn't be able to go out the window or even through the wall had she the ability.

Before him, in the middle of the room a portal appeared. To mortal eyes the portal looked like a whirlpool of black water suspended in midair. To immortal eyes it looked more like swirling black light rather than water.

Sword clutched tightly in his hand, Darien prepared himself for battle. He hadn't battled in over one and a half decades and he hadn't fought a real battle since he'd last battled his father.

Darien just hoped that he wasn't too out of practice.

The two Hellhounds came through first, immediately followed by their two Demonic handlers.

Darien studied them, not just their faces but their Demonic energies. Every immortal being had a different energy that was unique to them, like mortals and their fingerprints or DNA. The energies were more memorable than faces, particularly when pure blooded Demons only borrowed mortal forms, much like Cassiel and his mortal vessels; only Demons killed those of whose faces they took.

Darien didn't know either of them, but he knew by reading them and their power that they were middle class Demons, the 'errand boys' of the high class. They would know him though, from his energy as well as his face. He was fairly famous in the Demon world and since he couldn't change his face, it wouldn't be hard for them to recognise him.

Even the blade in his hand aided in betraying his true identity.

Their eyes were on him immediately, zeroing in on him, his position and his sword. Even a mindless Demon would see him for what he was, an able-bodied, well-trained warrior standing between them and what they hunted. They wouldn't know what he wanted with her but they would know that they weren't going to get to the Chosen unless they went through him. They would have been surprised to see him but even these middle level Demons were too well trained to show it.

A Demon that showed weakness in the Demonic World was not a Demon who lived long.

"Prince Endymion." The largest of them grunted with acknowledgment.

Darien nodded his head in response. Maybe his title in the Demon World would be enough to deal with them. After all, the only thing that the Demon King craved as much as the Chosen was his son. His only male heir.

If they dared to battle him, they wouldn't kill him. They wouldn't dare to kill the son of their Demon King on Earth who would make them pay in ways beyond their worst fears. This would have given him the advantage, not that he needed one but it was comforting since he had someone other than himself to protect, but he also had a disadvantage of trying to protect one who at the present time would be no help to him.

"We are here in the name of your father, the Demon Lord, King Valac." The first Demon went on, eyeing him carefully like the warrior he was.

Darien could feel the Demon's power probing him and the room behind him. Even though their Demonic senses would be unable to penetrate the room, the fact that the room was so well shielded would confirm the Chosen's location.

In less than a single heartbeat, both the Demonic hunters would know that the Chosen was in the room he stood guard before and that the only way into the room was through him.

"Stand aside or face my blade." The threat from the first Demon was real and dark, and thick with evil anticipation.

"I do not fear you or your blade." Darien told him candidly, keeping his eye on the second Demon that was slowly moving sidewards away from his colleague. It was a favoured battle strategy in the immortal world – divide and conquer as the strategy was known in the human world. Separate so that when it came time to attack him, they would attack him from opposite sides.

Darien as inconspicuously as possible adjusted his position/stance. "You will not get by me and you will never lay hand upon her."

This seemed to greatly please them both.

Darien wasn't surprised that the Demonic Soldiers were looking for a just excuse to attack and kill him.

"You go against your father or do you hope to win favour meant for me by bringing her to him?"

"It is not for my father that I do this." Talk was not usually Darien's way – it screamed too loudly of one of those melodramatic bad characters in a bad mortal film needing to monologue – but it was buying him time. Time to both assess the situation and to look for an opening or mistake on their part.

"Then who?" The second Demon demanded, drawing Darien's attention to the fact that they had him surrounded.

Darien glared at him, darkly. Dangerously. His answer clear.

The Hellhound the Demon held growled menacingly, it was anticipating the kill.

This time the first Demon looked truly disgusted and disbelieving as his anger flared, why Darien did not truly understand. His betrayal could not have meant that much to the Demon, there wasn't exactly a lot of loyalty or patriotism in the Demon World. Mainly greed, ruthless and merciless evil, and death.

"So the rumours are true!" The first Demon spat, disgusted. "You have allied with an angel and you seek to win their favour by handing her to them! You are a traitor to your father and your kind! You half-blood traitor! I will rid this world of you and send you to Hell!"

Darien grinned with pure cheek and intimidation. "You will try. And you will die. Screaming."

With a furious roar, the first Demon released his Hellhound, a second later the second followed suit. As one, the magical muzzles and leashes disappeared and the Hellhounds were free to attack.

The two handler Demons stepped back to allow their beasts room to do their work. They only smirked with evil anticipation as they waited for the beasts to kill him and clear their path to the Chosen.

Darien almost grunted in disgust himself. The arrogant fools. They hadn't even summoned their swords to their hands. A move that would cost them their lives.

Knowing their time would come, Darien turned from the Demons to the Hellhounds. They were advancing towards him slowly, step by menacing step. They were ferociously brutal and bloodthirsty evil creatures, but there were also very intelligent and cunning.

Darien quickly ran through everything he knew about Hellhounds. He needed to end this as quickly as possible. Not only for the safety of his charge but because other Demons and beings of Hell might be on the way. He was a skilled warrior trained by the best – for a short time anyway – but he could not fight an army of Demons, Hellhounds and anything else that came for the Chosen.

Hellhounds were intelligent, cunning and the fiercest of hunters. There was no equal to the beasts. Their saliva and blood was acid, able to eat through anything on Earth. To a Demon, it was harmless, but Darien knew that with human blood flowing through his veins, the blood or saliva would hurt like all heaven, but the Demon blood in him would protect him from it killing him. Hellhounds could sense evil and good alike, obviously they didn't like the stench of good and alerted to it with vigour. Angel blood was poison to the beasts, but since he didn't have an angel around he could bleed – where was Cassiel when he really needed him? – the only weapon he had against them was his blade. His own power was a possibility, but that would run the risk of weakening the shield at his back that protected the Chosen. The shield was already drawing a lot from him.

When a supernatural being used too much power at any one time, the spell, shield or whatever it was in question, began to draw upon life energy. If too much was used, it could drain the life energy, leaving the being in question weak or even dying. Drawing more power than was able to be handled could back fire and turn the power against the user.

With how much stronger angels and Demons alike were becoming, it was practically unheard of, but Darien wasn't going to risk it. It had been a long time since he'd had to use so much of his Demonic power. He didn't know how much he could handle as out of practice as he was. Casting shields was simple enough, straightforward, but trying to magically cage two Hellhounds that were resistant to supernatural power to a very high degree would be anything but straight forward.

His chances would be better if he kept to his blade, a tool that required no Demonic power and that he was skilled with.

Darien took a step forward, taking him out of the door way, and secured his footing,

He raised his sword and prepared to battle.

One thing Darien did know for certain about Hellhounds that like with all K-9 animals, there was an alpha, a pack leader that would always lead the way and attack first. One of the two animals, most likely the one a step closer to him of the advancing two, was the alpha that would attack first. The other following suit would attack a moment after.

Darien stared into the eyes of the alpha Hellhound, showing no fear and allowing his Demonic power to swirl around him, warning the beast of just who he was and the power he had.

But another thing about Hellhounds was that they did not submit without a demonstration of superior strength, cunning and power. They were ruthlessly aggressive and violently blood thirsty to the end.

The alpha tensed, the second one again following suit.

Darien would have the best of a few seconds between the two beast's attacks. This was a test of his skill and cunning that he hadn't had in over a decade.

And then the alpha lunged for him, the second a second behind him.

Darien leapt into action. Using his supernatural strength and speed that matched – possibly even surpassed – the Hellhounds' own, Darien leapt up into the air and spun his body around, thrusting out his leg. His spinning kick hit the alpha fair in the disfigured twisted leather flesh of its chest. It was like kicking a comet hurling towards the Earth, but it sent the beast flying backwards regardless.

Not stopping to see where the alpha landed, Darien turned his attention to the second and swung his sword high in a wide arch. With a spray of thick black blood, Darien landed squarely on his feet, once again with his back to the Chosen. His sword still held tightly in his hand, blood dripping from the blood soaked blade and eating through the floor at his feet.

Serena was trapped in a nightmare that she couldn't understand nor wake up from. And she wanted wake up. Now. Right now.

She was sitting on her bed, staring by the man in the doorway who refused to let either of the other two men past. The most hideous and terrifying creatures she had ever seen that the two other men had brought with them had attacked the man in black who had trapped her in her bedroom and had placed himself between her and the attackers. The dogs – for lack of a better name – looked as if their flesh had been burned so badly that it had melted and scared until the creatures that they had been were unrecognisable.

Serena had listened while the men had talked but none of it had made any sense to her at all. All three of them seemed determined to have her, but why? One of the two men had called the man in the door way Prince Endymion. She knew of no such name or prince. And how had he allied himself with an angel? Did he mean some kind of secret organisation or something?

There was a now a huge hole in her floor beneath the now headless creature whose blood was not only eating away the floor but also seemed to be eating away the creatures own dead carcass.

What kind of creature had acid running through its veins?

And how had the one named Endymion killed it? One second the two creatures had been stalking Endymion and the next – she hadn't even seen any of them move! – one of the creatures had been flying backwards to land by the far wall while the other had lost its head, it's blood staining his sword.

The sword seemed to be the only thing that the blood wasn't eating. That and the wall of her bedroom which she was sure the blood had sprayed on. The blood was eating through the floor but not the wall?

Serena blinked. If her bedroom wall was what was worrying her right now then she had truly lost her mind.

Then again, with what she thought she was seeing maybe she had already lost her mind.

Serena turned her attention back to the three men and the remaining beast. She didn't know what was going on here or who these men – or the disfigured dog-like animals – were, but she did know a few things for sure.

For some unknown reason, these men wanted her and the man Endymion seemed to be protecting her. He had said that he'd come to protect her and that they were out of time. Had he meant the two men were coming and that was why they'd run out of time and why he'd put her into her bedroom?

But Serena also knew that she was powerless to affect the outcome. These men were strong, dangerous, insane and armed. Whoever won would have her and there was nothing she could do about it. If these men were capable of taking down a creature like the one eating through her floor, then she didn't have a prayer.

All she could do was hope that the handsome one in black won. He had said that he would protect her – she couldn't trust his word but it was all she had right now. After all, he'd had his chance to hurt her before the other two had arrived, but he hadn't. While the other two seemed cruel and cold to her, not to mention that they wanted to give her to someone – who she had no clue – the other seemed nicer. They'd said something about a king but she'd been too afraid and out of it to really pay attention.

Serena's breathe froze in her throat and her eyes grew painfully and impossibly wide as she watched the second beast rise to its feet and attack the man named Endymion.

This time, she did see him move, even if the creature disappeared when it had leapt into the air.

With one smooth swing of Endymion's sword, the head of the second creature went flying across the room while the body fell at his feet next to what remained of the other.

Never had Serena seen _anything_ like what she was seeing now. Not just the creatures but Endymion. Never had she seen anyone move so fast or so gracefully, so skilfully, let alone with a _sword_! It was as if he'd been born with a sword in his hand. Or had he just killed these hideous creatures before and was that skilled at it?

As she watched, Serena slowly began to realise that the way he moved, with the speed, strength, grace and skill, was beyond what a normal human should've been capable of, even if they were hyped up on drugs. The enormous hideous creatures were easily five times his own weight! How was it possible that he sent one flying across the room let alone be able to behead both of them!

WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY?

They were too strong and too fast to be normal men! To be human . . .

Serena wanted to run; she wanted to get as far away as possible from the men and the decapitated monsters. Hell, she wanted nothing more than to WAKE UP! But there was something within her that couldn't leave Endymion to fight this himself. There was something about him that made her _afraid_ _for_ _him_, for his fate. He had come here to protect her – so he said – and she couldn't desert him like that.

That was not who her father had raised her to be.

However, her father had said nothing about _this_! About men able to appear out of thin air, men who were stronger and faster than any human should have been capable of! Or hideous dog-like creatures with glowing red eyes and black blood that could eat through wood and metal!

This was a nightmare and all Serena wanted was to wake up. RIGHT NOW!

Darien looked down at the two rapidly disintegrating dead Hellhounds before he turned his focus back to their Demonic handlers who had finally gotten smart and had summoned their enchanted blades. They had just lost their prized Hellhounds, their lives were forfeit to his father now, and they weren't happy about it.

They were pissed off, armed and advancing on him. Darien grinned at the battle that was to come, they had threatened to take the Chosen, the woman now under his protection and who he was strangely compelled to protect. And now they were going to lose their lives for it.

Darien opened his other hand, summoning a second enchanted blade. His second sword was not as powerful as his main blade, but it was equal to the blades they held and more than enough for him to use in defeating them.

Skilfully, effortlessly, Darien spun the enchanted blades around in his hands in union. It was a little showy for him but he wanted to intimidate them, he wanted them to know what was coming.

Death.

Serena wasn't sure why she hadn't passed out already.

The man Endymion had just snatched a second sword from midair as if he did it all the time. The sword had just appeared; one moment it hadn't been there, the next it had been. Regardless of where the second sword had come from or how it had appeared in his hand as if by magic, he would need the second blade as it was two against one, each with a sword of their own.

Why were these lunatics fighting with swords anyway? Was this some kind of gang thing? Some gangs used swords still, right?

In some far corner of her mind, a logical voice told her that she was losing it. Her mind was numb with fear and incomprehension; on top of that the confusion wasn't helping either. It was so hard to believe that less than five minutes ago she'd come into her living room looking for a book.

How could so much happen in so little time?

"We will have the Chosen!" One of the two men advancing on Endymion shouted with vigour.

"Not today." Her dark protector sneered, as he raised his sword preparing to fight – for her? – once again.

Moving so fast that Serena hadn't been able to see them move, they attacked Endymion as one, swinging their blades at him.

Terror gripped Serena's heart painfully when she realised that they were going to kill Endymion. Unlike the beasts – whose blood had already eaten up more than half of her living room floor – these men were armed and moved with the same superhuman speed that Endymion seemed to have.

All three of the men disappeared into thin air and for a moment Serena felt relief flood her, it had appeared that they were gone, but then the sound of metal hitting metal – like the two blades of a sword colliding – reached her ears and she realised that they hadn't left. They'd only moved to another part of the room.

It was the first time that Serena was able to see clearly into her living room, but it now looked like anything but. The acidic blood of the two hideous dog-like creatures had consumed the two decapitated bodies, and was still eating her floor at a mind-boggling pace. More than two thirds of her living room floor had melted away, along with all of her furniture and it was just starting on two if the room's walls. She couldn't see for sure but there had to be blood on the wall that separated the living room and the bedroom, but for some reason it still wasn't eating through.

Why wasn't it eating the wall, even though the wall had to be covered with it? As it was she could already see through the floor into the apartment below – that mercifully seemed to be deserted, even though she knew that a couple lived there – and she could begin to see the alley beside her apartment building through the growing hole in the outer wall.

And then the three fighting figures flashed within in line of sight in her disintegrating living room and her jaw dropped. She stopped everything, blinking, even breathing. Her mind was just too far gone to maintain the simplest of bodily functions.

The three men were still fighting in her living room, in the middle of the room in fact, the only thing wrong with that though was the fact that there was no floor beneath their feet, even though they continued to battle as if there was still a solid surface beneath their feet.

This was impossible! She was dreaming, that was the only explanation for what she was seeing! Either that or she'd finally cracked and she was hallucinating. Or maybe she'd somehow ingested some kind of drug that made her see things. There were drugs like that, right?

But no matter how much she wanted to believe her denial, deep down in a place that still managed to retain some form of function, Serena knew that it was too real to be anything but real. Her imagination was not _this_ good, this creative. Or this violent.

Serena watched, trying to get a grasp on who was winning. Her fate seemed to depend on it. From what little she could see – they moved so fast that they were blurred or unable to be seen by her eyes at all – one of them was injured and badly, judging by the blood being splattered on the disappearing walls or falling to the floor a full story beneath their feet.

Finally, for a brief moment, they paused, giving her a chance to catch a clear glimpse of them all. The two men fighting Endymion seemed to be the ones bleeding, although she couldn't see if Endymion was bleeding as he had his back to her. One of the two men, the one with the big mouth, had a long gash down his right arm that looked really deep and the other one had a long slice down his face and shoulder, as if he had narrowly avoided being decapitated like the two dog things had.

And it was in that glimpse that Serena realised that the blood gushing from the man's arm wasn't red as it should be, it was black. Jet black, like sticky black tar.

That settled that. These men weren't human. She had no clue what they were, but it seemed to be clear what they were fighting over her.

Her.

Why?

Serena's head was really starting to throb with the effort it was taking just to remain conscious. Her wide eyes felt dry and irritated from the lack of blinking and she was sure that she was going to get a migraine soon. Not that that mattered, she might be dead in a few minutes, for all she knew.

Serena looked up again only to find the three men had disappeared and by the sound of it, they had continued in their sword fight.

Something black blocked her line of sight and it became darker around her, or so it seemed. Serena blinked and realised that she was looking into the chest of a man wearing a black shirt.

For a moment Serena thought that Endymion had won and had finally came to claim her, but a single blink later, she realised that it wasn't the shirt that the man was wearing that was black, it was wet and covered in black blood.

Every instinct and ounce of intuition she had within her screamed at her so loudly that it was deafening. She'd never been so terrified in her life.

Slowly, Serena raised her eyes and found herself looking into a pair of red eyes, eyes as red as blood – human blood anyway – and a face that would have been handsome had the man not had such an evil expression on his face. His face was twisted with evil intentions and triumphant anticipation.

He reached for her with a large black blood soaked hand.

Serena screamed as loudly as her lungs would allow and threw herself backward on the bed, away from him, but she knew that that was all she would be able to do. This man was superhumanly fast and strong.

If he wanted her dead, then she was dead.

Darien swore violently in the Demonic language. He was well aware that one of the two Demons, the second one who hadn't really spoken much, was in the bedroom with the Chosen. Even before he had heard her ear-piercing scream of pure terror that wrapped around what felt like his heart – he wasn't going to debate its existence with himself right now – and dragged it into his stomach.

The Demon wouldn't be able to take her from the room unless it was through the doorway currently at his back. He could only hope – and pray, which was a new thing for him – that the Demon didn't hurt her or use her as a human shield before he could get into the room to deal with the other Demon.

He had to finish with this one quickly, but while battling two Demons at once while protecting another instead of his own hide, he'd suffered injuries, though no where near as many as he'd inflicted.

Most of his injuries were minor and wouldn't take much to heal, however he did have one that threatened to slow him down, a deep slash across his thigh that so far had done nothing to slow him down – it wasn't the pain that made the injury dangerous, he could bare more pain than a thousand mortals could, it was the blood loss – and would require more effort to heal than he could afford to give it right now.

Darien was the son of the Demon King on Earth, and the Demon blood within him was not weak. Injuries inflicted by anything other than an enchanted blade or supernatural power, healed instantly, without thought, but those which had been inflicted by an enchanted blade had to be healed with his power. That was assuming that he would have the power or the energy left to take the time to heal the injuries. In a battle of enchanted blades, survival usually came down to defeating the opponent – defeat in the Demon World was another word for 'kill' – before succumbing to one's injuries. Healing injuries inflicted by an enchanted blade during the fight usually meant the risk of taking too much attention away from the opponent and was left wide open to a fatal attack.

His father had taught him that well. Fight or die. No rest, no mercy and no hesitation. It was kill or be killed. Such was the way of the Immortal World.

Damn this! Darien silently cursed himself. He was better than this! He could have taken these two Demons down as easily as he had the Hellhounds! It was only that his focus was torn between the battle and the Chosen he was protecting. And it did not help his focus to know that she was no longer in the shielded room alone.

He had to pull himself together and end this or he was going to fail! The thought of the Chosen, such a small helpless creature, in his father's ruthless and merciless hands made him ill to his black core, but it also succeeded in renewing his determination. The longer he took to defeat this Demon, the longer the other had with the Chosen.

Darien took in his opponent from head to toe with his trained eye. The Demon had more serious injuries than he did and he had to be getting weaker, his attacks were becoming noticeably slower than before. He was losing too much blood.

Demons and Angels alike could battle for days without growing fatigued or drained; it was only the loss of blood that usually kept the battles short. Since Demons and Angels didn't need to breathe like he did, because of his beating heart, most never even experienced what it was to be out of breath like he had. However he had been taught by his father to keep such things hidden from his opponent since his father had seen it as a weakness and he had refused to have a son with any form of weakness.

There! What Darien had been waiting for. The Demon was becoming frustrated and enraged from the fact that his colleague was with the Chosen and that ran the risk of the Demon leaving him there and taking the Chosen to their king to claim his reward. Greed was one thing that could be counted on in Demons and it had caused this one to hesitate.

With a powerful and daring lunge, Darien thrusted his second sword into the Demon's chest and right through his still heart. The Demon's eyes bulged in pain and disbelief as his black blood gushed from his Demonic body.

But the fatal stroke had not come without a price. Darien had been unable to avoid the Demon's own enchanted blade and it had pierced his side, just above his hip.

Without so much as a grunt of pain, Darien stepped back and swung his enchanted blade in a wide arc, taking the Demon's head in one smooth swing. The Demon's head was sent flying across the room, but it never hit the living room wall.

Darien stepped back just in time, pulling his second blade from the Demon's chest, just as the body and the head burst into black flames and dissipated into ash before his eyes, becoming nothing but black ash.

The physical forms of the Demonic supernatural couldn't exist on Earth without a living supernatural essence within them. Demons became nothing but a pile of ash and a Hellhound's own blood ate the remains away within minutes.

Darien wasn't certain but as far as he knew; when an Angel was killed on Earth it became light. Or so he had been told.

Not even taking the time to deal with his injuries, Darien turned his attention to what was happening in the bedroom behind him with his own eyes, although he hadn't needed too. He had known exactly what had been happening in that room every moment of the battle, he had been watching in his mind's eye.

Serena was cowering on the bed as the second Demon loomed over her, with lust in his greedy evil red glowing eyes. Since the bedroom had been shielded by Darien, the Demon was unable to detect or sense what was happening outside, just as they hadn't been able to sense her in the room while they had been outside of it. They'd had to use their eyes.

Demons were lustful cruel creatures who would take any female that appealed to their sexual interest, Demon or Mortal females alike. And they would do so cruelly and excruciatingly. Demonic females were able to heal the wounds inflicted and they were able to battle should they not wish to submit, although most Demonic females had the same lust as male Demons so it wasn't often that a Demon had to force a Demoness into submission. Mortal women on the other hand were treated as cattle and were turned into slaves, those that survived anyway. So few mortal women ever survived such vicious encounters with Demons. This was mainly due to the injuries inflicted by the much stronger Demons and the fact that most Demons liked to feed on the souls of the mortals.

A taken human soul was like ecstasy to a Demon. It made them stronger and far more powerful. Once the soul was taken, all that remained was a soulless mindless empty vessel. There was never anything of the human left.

It was a Demon practice that disgusted him. He was a half blood; if he did have a soul no Demon would ever be able to touch it because of the Demon blood within him that protected him.

The thought of any of that befalling Serena made Darien want to kill. In fact, he would do just that. No Demon would ever get close enough to her to touch her ever again. He had made a grave mistake in letting this one by him. Fortunately he had learned from this mistake early.

Serena would not suffer the same fate as his mother, or any other fate the Demon World held for her.

Gripping his sword tightly, had it not been an enchanted blade it would have shattered beneath his Demonic strength, Darien stepped into the room. Without break his stride, Darien took hold of the Demon by his neck and with all his strength, he threw the Demon across the room to hit the shielded wall with the same force of a meteor impacting with the surface of the Earth.

Had the wall not been shielded, the Demon would have gone through it and into the building across the alley.

Darien had been tempted to behead him where he'd stood but he risked harming or even killing the Chosen and that he would not risk. Not for anything unless absolutely necessary. Unless there was no other way.

Darien stepped in-between the petrified Chosen and the Demon, the look in his hard eyes just daring the Demon to challenge him again.

The Demon growled ferociously, his eyes glowing red as he prepared to summon his Demonic power to kill him with the lethal power known in the Supernatural World as Death Magic, but the fool had forgotten that he was within the shield of a much more powerful Demon.

Using his own Demonic power, Darien interfered with the power gathering around the Demon and snuffed it out. The Demon was in his playpen, he had to play by Darien's rules.

Darien raised his sword as the Demon leapt to his feet, fear finally flickering in his eyes when he finally realised that he was trapped. Just as Darien had intended. Had the fool truly believed that he had gotten past him? No, he had fallen into Darien's trap; he was even unable to portal from the room to safety.

It was a mistake that would cost the Demon his Demonic life.

Never had Serena known anyone so overwhelming in all her life. Endymion was dark, powerful, dominant and a lethal warrior. She completely understood the look of fear on the other being's face. It was a look that said he knew his death was coming. But there was also something about the man called Endymion that made it hard for her to be as afraid of him as she should be while he was standing between her and the man who had obviously meant to harm her.

This dark stranger, Serena realised, was different than the other two. His eyes were blue – a normal human colour, although she'd never seen eyes so deep and intense – and his blood was deep red. She had seen it when he'd pulled the other off of her. He had blood trickling down his leg, below a deep – but not immediately life threatening, although she had to wonder how he was still standing – gash across his mid-thigh.

It had also helped that he'd actually stated that he was there to protect her and had put himself between her and the two red-eyed men. He had even gone further to fight – a very brutal sword battle – for her.

And even though she'd never been more terrified than she was right now, Serena found herself both concerned for Endymion and trusting of him, trust that he would protect her.

What else could she do? There was most likely something a shrink would say about turning to someone stronger when one was feeling helpless and weak, but Serena didn't care. There was something about Endymion, the way he'd looked at her before all the sword fighting. There had been something in his eyes that had assured her that she was safe with him.

Or she could just be grasping at deadly blood-soaked straws in her terrified state.

Why was she able to think so clearly when she should have passed out by now? So many impossible things had happened in the last five minutes – was that all it had been before her life had turned down right ludicrous? – but somehow her mind was dealing with them all.

Aware that the Chosen was closely behind him watching, Darien resolved to kill this Demon as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The poor little Mortal was probably terrified out of her mind.

Unfortunately, now that the Demon knew that he was trapped, he would fight that much harder against him. There was very little that was more dangerous than a Demon desperately fighting for his very existence.

"What makes you think you are worthy of the Chosen, Endymion?" The Demon spat at him, a feral growl drenching each word. "You are a traitor to your own kind! You fight against us for what? To be an angel's pet?"

Darien ignored his goading. The Demon was looking for a moment of hesitation, a moment of weakness on his part, but he would never find it. His father had taught him too well.

Darien raised his sword and waited expectantly.

And just as he had expected, the Demon charged for him, even letting loose a fierce Demonic battle cry.

But Darien was ready for him. Tensing, he waited until the very last moment, preparing to strike, to deliver his death blow.

"No!" The Chosen let out a frantic cry from the bed where she sat behind him.

Who had the cry been for and what had it meant? Did she care for his fate or had the cry been for the Demon he was about to kill? Darien had no idea, but it would change nothing. Although the thought that she cared for his fate, even if it was for the sake of her own fate, ignited a spark of warmth in his estranged heart.

Not allowing the unfamiliar sensation to distract him any further, Darien tightened his grip on his blade, steadied his stance and thrust out his sword.

Serena gasped silently in horror at the sight before her. The being with the red eyes had one moment been standing against the wall where he'd been thrown by Endymion when he'd been advancing on her, and the next he was on his feet an arm's length from Endymion. She watched as the being's sword fell from his limp hand, but disappeared into thin air before it hit the floor. His eyes were impossibly wide and his body twitched and jerked uncontrollably.

Symptoms most likely caused from the blade of Endymion's sword, that Endymion still held, that had been impaled through his thick neck. Amazingly, he remained alive for a few seconds before Endymion pulled his sword free in one smooth yank and the red eyed being spontaneously burst into hot, black flames and disappeared, leaving behind only a cloud of black ash that gathered in a scattered pile on the floor where he'd once been standing.

What the . . . ? Serena stared into his back, her eyes wide with disbelieving horror. Her loudly pounding heart jumping up into her throat when she realised that he was turning around to face her.

With all his opponents dead by his sword, Darien scanned the apartment and the area one last time with his Demonic sense. Sensing no threat in the immediate area, he slowly turned around and looked straight into the wide terrified eyes of the Chosen.

* * *

**I'm in the middle of moving from Queensland to Tasmania, but Chapter 2 will be posted as soon as I can. Happy Easter everyone!**


	3. Chapter 2 Dark Histories

**Hello Boys and Girls! I know its been a while and for that I'm sorry, but here's your reward, Chapter 2! Chapter 3 is almost ready so hopefully it will be up within the next 2 weeks. For those of you who don't know I moved from Queensland to Tasmania two months ago, and things still haven't settled down. Life is a little unpredictable right now, but more good news it that I have had so much more time for writing, so Heart's Sight has been re-started upon and Wolf's Cry has been pulled down from the shelf.**

**Thankyou to everyone for thier great and inspiring reviews! I love each and every one of them! So again, thankyou!**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Dark Histories**

* * *

In all his long centuries, never had Darien seen such a heart-wrenching sight

Sitting frozen in the middle of her small bed in terror, staring at him through painfully agonizing terrified wide eyes and shaking like a rabbit caught in the predatory gaze of a starving wolf, the Chosen was the most petrified creature he had seen. With all that he had seen, that was saying a lot.

And Darien had absolutely no clue as to how to handle her. His mother had always been a strong unyielding woman who'd refused to let fear rule her. His mother had been the strongest woman – Demoness or mortal – he had ever known in all his immortal life. Unfortunately, his mother had been the only mortal female he had ever interacted with.

The silent seconds passed in which neither of them moved, the Chosen because she was terrified and he because he did not want to frighten her further.

Seconds became minutes and Darien began to fear for the Chosen's mental health. Had she been so startled beyond all measure that she was beyond recovery under her own power?

Darien was considering slapping her, even though he had never harmed a mortal in his life, especially females – Demonesses however were a different story, those females were more than capable of taking care of themselves.

Thankfully his hand wouldn't be forced as the Chosen finally seemed to be regaining some of her senses and her eyes flashed fearfully to his sword before returning to his face.

Darien cursed silently. He still held his blade, dripping with black Demon blood, tightly in his hand. In a mere second he could have banished it with his Demonic power, but he didn't want to risk terrifying her any more than she already had been.

With exaggerated slowness, Darien slid his enchanted blade back into its sheath that hung around his waist, ignoring the sparks of pain from his wounds. With his hands empty, Darien held them up for her to see. He tried to appear as calm and as non-threatening as possible. He had to get her out of there; they were running out of time. Mortals in the surrounding apartments had heard the battle and the authorities had been contacted – he could hear the commotion that now surrounded the tiny apartment, each voice as distinct as if they were standing beside him – although it would still be several minutes before the authorities arrived.

However, in any case, they would be long gone by then.

"Hey there." Darien said in his most soothing tone. "It's over. No one is going to hurt you now. You're safe. They won't hurt you. _I_ won't hurt you."

No response from the Chosen other than she was gradually beginning to function once again. She had resumed breathing and blinking, but this only made her tiny form shake all the more.

Seriously, what had the fates been thinking when they had named _this_ being the Chosen? This child, who was barely a woman? She wasn't up to the task of moving right now, let alone receiving the power of her bloodline and fighting in a supernatural war. How was this little thing ever going to be able to handle the fate that was laid out before her?

A fate that would become a thousand times worse if she fell into his father's hands.

Determination flared within him to do all he was able to prevent that from happening. Somehow he had to get her into the hands of the Angels, but how? Cassiel never came to him when he called – the few times he actually had anyway – and he didn't know how to get in contact with any other Angel, most of who would slay him on sight.

Darien turned his focus from her eyes to the rest of her form, intent on checking her for injury. He was sure that the Demon that had entered the room had barely touched her, let alone had any time to harm her, but he wanted to be certain. Mortals were such fragile creatures; it was astounding what little it took to end a mortal life.

Reaching out with his Demonic senses Darien scanned her.

The Chosen jumped back as if she'd been electrocuted, a renewed kind of terror and confusion in her endlessly deep, sky blue eyes that called out to the human side of him to protect her at any cost.

Darien cursed at himself silently once again. She had felt his Demonic power scanning her, only it seemed that she hadn't a clue to what it was that she had sensed. She had not suffered physical harm, which he knew without a doubt now, but his scan had not helped anything in regards to her mental state.

What the hell was he going to do with her? And how the hell was he going to calm her down enough for her to allow him to touch her so he could get them the hell out of there before more Demons came – the battle in the living room had not been shielded. He should have been swarming with Demons, but so far there was nothing. He had scanned an entire city block radius several times in the last few minutes, but there were no more Demons or anything Demonic within the area.

How was that possible? The battle should have been felt all over the city. The death of a Demon was something that all supernatural beings within the area were able to sense and it took almost no effort to trace the location.

What was keeping them? The death of one Demon was dismissible, but two at once was definitely not.

They were running out of time, they should have run out of time already. Darien had to get her out of there and somewhere safe, even if only temporarily.

"We have to go now-." Darien took a small step towards her, his hands still raised so she could see them, but she let out an ear-piercing scream and scrambled back off of the bed so that now the bed stood between them.

Serena knew she had to act. She had to do something to get away from the man who'd just killed four living creatures – what kind she had no clue – but he had killed them ruthlessly regardless, but her brain just refused to function. As it was, it was taking all of her effort to keep breathing and to keep herself from passing out. She didn't want to be unconscious in his possession; her survival may depend on her staying alert and awake.

After all he had done before her very eyes, he wanted her to go with him when he could so effortlessly kill her with a single hand? No way in Heaven or Hell!

Finding herself on her feet, Serena reached for her baseball bat that was usually situated beside her bed only to find it gone. It took her a second to remember that it had been in the living room before the floor had been eaten away by the black blood of those dog-like things.

Unarmed and cornered – he stood between her and the door – Serena screamed at her brain to wake up so she could find a way to escape from him, but all her brain told her was that there wasn't a chance in hell of escaping him. He was superhumanly stronger and faster than she was, not to mention armed with swords that she knew – very well – he knew how to use.

What did he want from her?

Backing away from him until her back hit the opposite wall, Serena somehow managed to find her voice. "Stay . . . stay away." Her voice hadn't trembled or squeaked, for that she was grateful.

Ever since her father and stepmother had died, Serena had refused to let herself feel weak or helpless. She was a fighter; according to her father, she was just like her mother. She didn't give up. Ever. Even though right now it seemed like a very good idea.

Her mind was racing a thousand miles a second, struggling to understand what was happening. This man had just killed four dangerous ...things in a way that had made it seem that he was protecting her. He was superhumanly strong, fast, well over twice her size and he was armed with a sword. A bloody _sword_ for crying out loud! Who even knew how the use a sword in this day and age?

After all he had done in the few minutes she'd known him, it was clear that he was a very dangerous man.

A fact Serena was very aware of as he was now approaching her slowly, cautiously, with his hands held in front of him as if to assure her that he wasn't going to hurt her. His voice was soft and calming, but also smooth. He had the most mesmerizing voice she'd ever heard. It was the kind of voice one expected such a man to have, the voice of a strong, confident and intelligent man who was able to charm the pants off of anyone.

He'd said that she was safe, that he wouldn't hurt her. Was it the truth or was he just like the men-like things he'd killed? Was he trying to trick her, to get her to wherever it was that he so clearly wanted to take her?

And what had he meant that they were running out of time? Running out of time for what? Were there more red-eyed men-like things coming with more of those hideous creatures?

Oh god, she hoped not. She couldn't take anymore!

A faint pulse of Demonic power rippled through the air, snapping Darien's attention to the east. A Demon, a powerful one at that, had just gated into the area, only half a block away. This one, Darien recognized and it was not someone he wanted to run into, especially not when he had the Chosen to protect.

Darien could feel the Demon probing, searching. So the deaths of the Demon he had just killed had been noticed. All other Demons were just staying out of the way of this much more powerful and dangerous Demon.

They were out of time.

Moving faster than the Chosen's mortal eyes were capable of following, Darien leapt over her bed as easily as taking a single step on a flat, even surface and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, holding her loosely in the protective hold of his arms.

Willing more Demonic power into the shield that shielded the bedroom, Darien summoned a portal that to the Chosen's eyes would look like a swirling vertex of black water. He on the other hand saw what lay on the other side as clearly as if he were already there.

It was safe enough on the other side of the portal; he could sense nothing supernatural within the vicinity.

Holding the tiny and pale burden in his arms, who was so tense that it felt as if he were holding a warm delicate glass statue, Darien stepped through the portal. Demonic power swirled around him, flowing across his skin like water in an icy river – his Demonic power was the only thing that really ever made him feel cold – as his feet momentarily left the ground. As if he were simply stepping from one room to another, Darien's foot touched the damp grass covered earth on the other side of the portal.

Serena was going to throw up, but first she had to get her inert body to start breathing.

One heartbeat, the mysterious dark – and very dangerous – stranger, Endymion, had been standing on the opposite side of the bedroom from her, the next he'd had his hard strong arms around her, holding her against his solid chest, and was practically carrying her through something that was beyond her comprehension to explain. It hadn't lasted long enough for her to even realise that they'd gone through the swirly smoky whirlpool thingy before she was on the other side. The experience left her feeling icy cold, disorientated and prickly, but strangely there had been a sense of familiarity about it. As if she'd been taken through one of those things – whatever it had been – before. Some time long ago that she just couldn't bring forth from her memory . . .

With a flat, stable surface beneath her feet, which Serena gradually identified as lush grass covered ground, her bewildered mind became aware of something else she was feeling.

Awareness. Intense sexual awareness for the man who held her protectively encaged in his arms, loosely but firmly. Her skin tingled beneath his touch and she became aware of his warmth. He was warm, despite the cold night, warmer than a human should've been without running a dangerously high fever. And his smell made her think forbidden carnal thoughts, luscious exotic places, and fire.

But most strangely of all, he made her feel safe. After all she'd witnessed him do, after learning of what he was capable of, after learning that he had some kind of unexplainable magic or something, and that he now had her all alone somewhere outdoors, she wasn't as afraid of him as she'd been inside her own apartment.

The world shook violently around her, snapping her out of her thoughts enough for her to realise that it wasn't the world that was shaking, it was her. He was shaking her very carefully.

"Breathe." It was a command, no matter how soft and neutral his tone had been.

And that's when it all came crashing down on her. Her lungs were burning and now that she gave them her attention she couldn't ignore them anymore. Drawing in deep gasps of chilly night air into her burning lungs, Serena instinctively pushed against him, needing to be free of his hold and far away from him, but it was like pushing against a solid brick wall; he was too strong. So strong that Serena suspected that he wasn't even feeling the strength she was putting into the movement.

In the blink of an eye, he had released her and was now standing a few feet away from her as if sensing that she needed space right now.

Without his strength to hold her upright, Serena felt her legs buckle beneath her and she fell to the ground, landing lightly on her hands and knees. For the next minute, she focused on drawing air into her deprived lungs.

The grass beneath her was cold and moist from the dampness of the icy spring night and even though she didn't look up Serena sensed that she was someplace deserted, but it wasn't dark. Light shone down on her from above, not the warming light of the sun, but the kind that came from a streetlight. Straining her ears, Serena heard the sounds of the city in the distance. A siren wailed and she could hear car horns beeping. She could smell the damp earth and lush grass beneath her, but there was also something else. Something that reminded her of freshly dug dirt.

Where was she? Where had he taken her?

Finally, curiosity got the better of her and Serena raised her head. To find herself staring right at a marble tombstone.

Startled, Serena leapt backwards, landing on her backside with an 'oof' and completely unaware that her nightgown had ridden up. Well, at least that solved that mystery as to where she was. She was in a cemetery.

How she'd gotten there or why he'd brought her here, Serena had no idea.

Darien couldn't stop himself from staring at the most perfect pair of legs he'd ever seen. Long, flawless and creamy white, he couldn't help but to imagine them wrapped around his waist as he filled her tight-.

No! Darien forced himself to look away and to ignore his flaring desire. This was the Chosen. Regardless of his earlier foolish hopes, he couldn't bed her. She was the Chosen, not to mention several hundred years younger than him. The mortal expression 'robbing the cradle' would be an understatement.

Without looking at her, Darien slipped off his overcoat and held it out to her. It hadn't escaped him that it was cold – by mortal standards – tonight and she was dressed only in her nightgown.

"Here. Put this on before you freeze."

The Chosen looked up at him from where she sat in a heap on the ground. Her still wide eyes flickered back and forth between his face and his coat. She wanted the coat. She was cold, that he could see, but she was uncertain about coming too near to him. It appeared that he hadn't yet proven himself to her, regardless of the two Demons and the two Hellhounds he'd just killed while protecting her.

Darien sighed tolerantly. If she wasn't going to take the coat then he'd have to act to keep her warm. Taking a measured step forward, Darien knelt in front of her long enough to slide the coat over her shoulders – she remained as wide eyed and as pale as a frightened rabbit – and then he retreated back from her, silently assuring her that he would keep his distance as long as she wished it.

Serena pulled the coat around her regardless of its owner. It was cold and she was in her nightie. His scent surrounded her and she couldn't stop herself from inhaling the pleasing scent. His scent was so sweetly intoxicating that she couldn't help herself.

Shifting her attention from his coat to the man himself, Serena looked up into his eyes to find nothing of what had been there while he'd battled whatever those things had been. Battled to protect her, or so it still seemed. There was no fury, no deadly intent or ferociousness. Standing over her as he was without a sword in his hand, he looked so normal, so human.

Had she imaged the whole thing?

"Thank you." Serena whispered timidly.

He only smiled down at her, a soft and gentle smile that was meant to soothe and reassure.

Serena didn't know what to say or do in response to his smile. He was so handsome, so . . . everything. Looking at him was like looking into the sun in so many ways, one of which was that if you looked too long it wasn't good for your health.

Shyly, Serena tore her gaze from his face. At first she'd intended to look around, but as she had lowered her eyes, she saw something that made her gasp in alarm.

At the sound, Endymion tensed and swiftly scanned the cemetery. Again, Serena felt a wave of something cold wash over her but it was gone before she could name it. What had that been? Whatever it was, it had set her instincts and senses into overdrive as they leapt into high alert.

"What did you see?" Endymion asked her, his hand already on the hilt his sword.

For a long second Serena couldn't understand what he meant. It slowly dawned on her that he'd assumed there was some kind of threat she'd seen based on her distressed gasp.

He was so ready, so willing, to protect her. Surely this meant that it was safe to assume that he wouldn't hurt her, no matter what it was that he wanted from her. He seemed so worried for her safety and caring for her health as was demonstrated by his coat that hung from her shoulders.

Slowly and cautiously, Serena rose to her feet, keeping a hold on the coat with one hand to keep it on her shoulders. She wasn't brave enough to touch or get too close to him, so she pointed at his side where his shirt was ripped through and so soaked with blood that it was clinging to him like a sticky second skin.

"You're hurt."

Darien followed her finger to his side, surprised at what he found there. He had been so preoccupied with her safety that he'd forgotten his injuries. Both had stopped bleeding and would heal on their own in a matter of hours if he didn't get around to healing them. The supernatural healed fast, even minor wounds inflicted by an enchanted blade.

"It's alright." Darien assured her, softly, slightly touched that she was worried about him. "I'll see to it later. It would not be wise to risk alerting anyone to our location right now. The cemetery conceals our location from other Immortals, but only as long as I don't use any of my power."

Why was he telling her so much?

Had Serena not just seen what she'd seen, she would've insisted that he was nuts and that he needed professional help, but unfortunately she had seen enough to _consider_ what he'd said.

"Power?" Serena repeated, knowing she sounded like a small, uneducated but curious child. "Was that how you were able to do what you did? You have some kind of magical ability?"

"That's the basic idea of it." Darien said with a shrug. Maybe explaining everything to her wasn't going to be that difficult after all. The sooner she knew the truth, the sooner she would accept it and the more cooperative she would become.

"How did we get here?"

Darien studied her for a long moment, although her tone sounded only a little strained, she was way to calm for his liking. Something was off, to use a mortal phrase. Something was wrong with her.

"I used my power to summon a portal. A magical doorway."

Serena struggled to get her mind around that one. She felt numb all over, her heart was racing in her chest and her vision was blurry around the edges. She was seconds away from losing it; in fact she was surprised that she hadn't completely lost it already.

"What were they? And why did they want me?" Why her? Why was she so special to these magic users?

Darien was not sure that he should answer her. She had taken in too much already in a very short time, but when he thought about it, he just could not lie to her. She had been very brave tonight, she deserved the truth.

"They were Demons from Hell who had used Hellhounds to find you." Darien answered carefully, talking slowly and calmly. She was as pale as death and her eyes were dilated so much so that her eyes almost looked as black as a Demon's. "And they are after you because you are the one who is destined to decide the fate of the war between the Demons and Angels for the souls of all Mankind for the next five thousand years."

"Oh."

And finally, it was all too much for her. Angels. Demons. Hellhounds. Her mind was barely functioning as it was and when her mind went into overdrive with the impossible answer it was way too much for her to take.

Serena felt herself falling into darkness as her body swayed dangerously, and her legs gave out once again beneath her. The last thing Serena felt were his strong arms closing in around her and his scent filling her senses once again. His overly warm presence seemed to somehow promise her shutting down mind that she would be safe while she rested.

Darien released an exasperated breath. This was going to be just as difficult as he'd originally thought.

Lifting the tiny, delicate young woman that was the Chosen into his arms, Darien carried her, as if she weighed no more than a pillow, through the cemetery. It would only be a matter of minutes before they traced him to the cemetery. Once the Demons found her apartment, they would search for traces of a portal. When they could not feel where it had opened on the other side, they would begin to search all of the cemeteries in the city.

Cemeteries were sacred ground and were sheathed by a powerful form of ageless mystical protection which prevented other supernatural beings from using their senses to search them. Anyone or anything searching for the Chosen would not be able to sense where the portal had ended, not even a Hellhound. This meant that those searching for them would have to use their eyes to find them.

It was a tremendous hassle to the Demonic forces, so accustomed to their will being instantly gratified by their power, and there was little they would tolerate it for. However the Chosen was one of those few things at the top of the list that the Demonic world would stop at nothing to find.

It wouldn't be long before every cemetery in the city was crawling with Demons and other creatures of Hell. They would be looking for any trace of another portal leading out of the cemetery. They would not expect any Demon, even one who was half-human, to walk far with the Chosen.

It was still several hours until dawn. It wasn't even midnight yet, which meant that there was still plenty of time for them to be found before dawn came and forced the Demonic creatures of Hell to take sanctuary for the night, as a pure blooded creature of Hell could not step into the daylight.

There was a reason that the spawn of Hell were often referred to in mortal mythology as the 'Creatures of the Night'.

They would be coming for him now, every creature of Hell. Every Demon, every Hellhound, and everything else born of Hell on Earth. Not to mention the Angels of Heaven as the Chosen had come free of the protection shields cast by her guardians the moment he had taken her through the portal. These shields had protected her since the day she was born. Now, with the Chosen only a week away from the eve of her eighteenth birthday, her Ascension, the race was on to find and sway her.

Everything in the Supernatural World was now on his tail. Cassiel had been right when he had said that he would not be able to escape this war that he had been born into.

Now he was smack in the middle of it. He would be hunted by both sides as long as he was anywhere near the Chosen and as tempting as the thought was to leave her somewhere for an Angel to find, Darien couldn't do it. He couldn't leave this tiny defenceless woman at the mercy of those who next found her. It was up to him to protect her. He only hoped that he was enough to do so.

Heaven and Hell were coming for them both.

* * *

Her head was throbbing. That was the first thing Serena became aware of as she became aware once again. The pain in her skull was like someone was repeatedly beating her over the head with a baseball bat.

Hang on a second. Baseball bat. Why did that mean something to her? Something important?

Oh, she remembered. She had been dreaming about Demons and Hellhounds and a handsome stranger named Endymion, who had been so handsome that he could've only existed in a lonely woman's dreams.

What time was it? Her aching body told her that she'd been asleep a long time so it must have been at least noon and she started her shift in two hours. She had better get up, shower and do whatever chores she needed to do before she went to work. She was working the afternoon til midnight shift. It was a long exhausting shift that never seemed to end but at least Amy would be there for her to talk to.

Serena knew she was always lucky that way. She had yet to endure a single shift since they'd all started working at the diner that at least one of the girls weren't on as well. It made work more bearable than it would've been had she been alone. If it was slow tonight she might be able to look into some more courses she could do with the beginning of the next semester since she turned eighteen in six days and she'd inherit her parent's money.

Her birthday would be the day that her life would start over and she'd have the chance to get the normal life she wanted.

Only six more days.

Sighing reluctantly, Serena rolled over, expecting to come to the edge of her tiny bed, but she didn't feel it. In fact now that she focused, her senses were telling her that she wasn't where she thought she was.

Beneath her the mattress so soft that her body didn't have her usual aches from sleeping on a bad mattress with springs that continued to jab into her all night. The covers over her felt light, smooth and warm, unlike her old bristly bedspread. The pillow beneath her head was fluffy and had the faint aroma of something floral and relaxing. Her usual pillow was flat and in serious need of throwing out.

Serena inhaled deeply. Instead of the musty scent of her apartment that consisted of mould and burning dust from the heater, she could smell clean. Clean sheets, clean pillow, clean room that was scented with more exotic floral scents that she couldn't name.

Serena strained her ears. Instead of hearing traffic outside and the usual commotion of her neighbours, she heard . . . nothing. Not a sound but her own breathing.

Serena's eyes snapped open and she bolted upright in the enormous bed – she hadn't known that there was a size bigger than king-sized – that was so big it could comfortably accommodate half a baseball team. The bed was covered with a white duvet and white silk sheets and big fluffy white pillows.

Looking around – the again, enormous – bedroom, Serena had to blink several times in order to allow her eyes to adjust. It was so bright in the room, almost everything was white. To her right the entire wall was made up of floor to ceiling tinted windows, the warm light of the sun shining down on her. The position of the afternoon sun told her that she hadn't slept through the whole day. It couldn't have been later than two in the afternoon.

The room looked like something right out of a fancy magazine for rich people. _Very_ rich people. White polished furniture was placed at strategic points so that it was out of the way and didn't make the room seem overstuffed. Two bedside tables were situated on either side of the bed that had lamps built into the headboard. There was, what Serena guessed, a walk in closest concealed behind floor to ceiling mirrors that she could tell were on sliding doors and to her left was an open black hardwood door that was so clean and new it actually seemed gleam.

It was a bathroom. An en suite. A huge one at that.

There was one other door, one right in front of her that was obviously her way out. The door was closed; she had no idea what was on the other side.

Had last night really happened? And if so, did that mean that the godly gorgeous Endymion was real too?

Serena blinked and looked around again. Where the hell was she?

Tossing aside the thick covers, Serena crawled to the edge of the bed. It really was _that_ big! Who would need such a big bed?

Once on her feet, Serena realised that she was still in her night clothes, the same she could remember putting on last night after her shower. They appeared to be in place, which comforted her somewhat. No one had taken or manipulated her clothes in any way. That was something at least.

At the foot of the bed, Serena noticed a change of clothes that seemed to be for a woman her exact size, although they looked as if they were for an old lady. Checking them, she confirmed that they were her correct sizes but whoever had gotten them for her had absolutely no fashion sense what so ever. Not that she cared about fashion and trendy styles too much – on her budget she couldn't afford to – but these clothes looked like they'd been picked out by her father! On their own the items themselves weren't that bad but when put together...

There was a baby pink long sleeved turtleneck sweater, a white woollen skirt that would run right down passed her ankles – but it was so soft she couldn't help but run her hand over it several times – and sensible slip on white shoes, complete with white socks with frilly lace sewn into the top seam.

Who'd chosen these clothes? A nun?

With no other alternatives Serena took the clothes into the bathroom, abandoning the shoes and socks altogether, and she locked the door behind her to dress. She was sorely tempted to take a shower or a bath. The shower stall took up an entire wall and looked big enough to easily shower half of the baseball team from the bed. On the other wall was a spa bath that took up a third of the room! And the bathroom was big enough that again nothing looked cramped.

But she decided against it. She was somewhere she didn't know, quite possibly with someone she didn't know. Someone who thought that Demons and Hellhounds existed. She had to get out of there and away from him. With any luck she would be alone here and would be able to slip out unnoticed.

Although in these clothes Serena doubted the unnoticed part and not for good reasons.

Warily, Serena opened the bathroom door a crack so she could scan the bedroom to assure that she was still alone.

The room was just as she'd left it.

Vacating the safety of the bathroom, Serena took one last look around. She noticed that less than half of the perfect bed had been disturbed. No one had slept in it with her. It was comforting.

Planting her ear against the door that was her way out, Serena strained her ears and listened for anything, any clue, that there was someone – or something – on the other side of the door waiting for her.

Silence.

But then again, the doors were so solid that someone could've been hosting a siesta on the other side and she would never have heard a sound.

Taking a deep breath to summon what courage she could from her frayed nerves, Serena curled her fingers around the door knob and turned slowly, carefully. She slowly inched the door open, and released a sigh of relief.

The door had opened without so much as a sound, but not wanting to tempt fate, Serena only opened it enough to see into the next room, just as she had done with the bathroom door.

It was a very extravagant living room. With stylish black leather couches the kind that were stretched tight, black coffee tables with clear glass top surfaces and thick lush, white mats covering the smooth black carpet. Art covered the walls, the kind that looked so horrible that it could only be the expensive modern type she'd seen from upscale magazines. There wasn't one drop of actual colour anywhere amongst the collection.

Seeing no movement, Serena opened the door a little more and stuck her head out, quickly scanning the apartment. Nothing moved. Everything was still and the apartment was silent. Had he really left her alone in this huge apartment?

Like a child sneaking out of her room in the early hours of Christmas morning in the hopes of getting a glimpse of the presents waiting, Serena hunched herself over slightly to make herself a smaller target and she stepped out of the room, constantly scanning the room back and forth for any sign of movement.

Darien watched, amused, in his mind's eye as the Chosen crept from the main bedroom like a burglar sneaking through an unknown house. Her eyes were wide and alert as she crept into the middle of his living room.

The first thing Darien had done after entering the apartment had to been to strengthen the shields around his apartment. The apartment had been well shielded to begin with so he knew they would be safe here. He could use small amounts of power here without the risk of being detected.

Not even his father would be able to find him here. The Demon King had taught him too well. It hadn't occurred to his father that his son might one day use what he had learned against him until it had been too late.

Ever since Darien had put the Chosen to bed – not touching her any more than he had to – and changed the room from black to white to better suit her, he had been standing guard at the window, his body unmoving but his senses and mind's eye were constantly roaming. He had changed the colouring of his bedroom because being surrounded by black had not suited her at all. This was a woman who needed the bright and clean and pure. Then he had conjured some clothing for her, which he had left at the foot of his bed, and he had left her alone, closing the door behind him and not re-entering.

Not that that had made any difference. He had watched her through his mind's eye for most of the night as she had slept. She had seemed so much more comfortable there than what she was accustomed to, even in her sleep. He had seen what she usually slept on and he hadn't liked it at all.

If they both survived what was coming, Darien would give her a portion of his fortune so that she could properly take care of herself.

In the days he had been born into so long ago, in the mortal world he had known, men had taken care of women and had seen to it that all their needs were met. They'd had food to eat and a good bed to sleep in and protection in which to enjoy it under.

Times had changed since then, become more cruel and indifferent. Communities were strangers where there had once been families; greed and selfishness now existed where there had once been unity and selflessness. He yearned for the old days, for the days he had held his mother's hand while they had walked to market for flour and freshly slaughtered meat. Darien had been his mother's only man in her life but his father had given his mother money in order to support his son, the prince that his father had believed him to be.

It had been more than enough money for them to live as royalty, but his mother had remained in her family home and had only spent what she had needed. She had hated using the money, knowing from where it had come, but she had been a loving woman who had held her son higher than her pride.

Turning his attention back to the Chosen and dismissing memories that had once brought him joy but now haunted him, Darien could not help but smile with amusement.

The Chosen did not know it, but she was not alone in the room. In fact, he stood at the windows, staring out over the City of Lost Angels, watching her in his mind's eye.

Not trusting her to remain of her own will, and expecting something like this from her, Darien had willed himself unable to be seen by mortal eyes and had magically sealed the apartment. No mortal would ever be able to enter or exit unless he willed it, and right now that included the Chosen.

Darien frowned when he noticed that she was not wearing the shoes he had conjured for her. What in Hell's name was she thinking trying to leave without shoes on to protect her tiny, delicate feet?

As she passed him, coming within feet of him, Darien willed the power around him to dissipate, leaving him able to be seen by mortal eyes. What he was doing was playing with her, he knew it, and his chivalrous side scolded him for even thinking it, but he could not help himself. It would help to establish the fact that she could not escape him. The sooner she realised that the better it would be for them both.

At least that was what he was telling himself.

"Did you sleep well?"

Serena screamed, startled, and whirled around, her hand slapping against her chest as she covered her racing heart. Her mouth instantly dropped open at the sight of a man dressed in black – Endymion – standing at the windows with his back to her only a few feet from her.

Where in the hell had he come from? She had been certain that he hadn't been there a moment ago! And in the mainly white apartment it wasn't as if he were well camouflaged!

"Where the hell did you come from?" Serena snapped at him, screeching more than yelling.

"I never left." He said composedly, turning around to face her.

Serena sucked in a breath. He was even more handsome – but still as scary – in the daylight. Had this guy been sculpted by angels or what?

"You weren't there a moment ago!" Serena accused.

"Wasn't I?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly messing with her.

"No!"

Hmmm, she had more spirit than he had given her credit for. He had a feeling that this little one would be full of surprises. It had been a long time since he had been genuinely amused and surprised by someone, a mortal in particular. He liked her, a lot. There was something about her, something different and unique. He could sense it.

Darien willed his power over her, surrounding and consuming her, allowing him to read her as he pleased.

Unlike last night when he had been far too occupied to get a real sense of her, he now sensed strength and a power she was not yet aware of. She had a good heart. A loving heart filled with kindness and generosity. Even if it was still hurting from too many losses in her short life. He also sensed loyalty and a will that could not be easily broken.

She was much stronger than Darien had given her credit for.

"Stop that!" She snapped, accusing him with her eyes again. She was glaring at him furiously, with a troubled look she was trying to keep from her eyes.

Darien blinked in confusion. "Stop what?"

"Doing that! Whatever it is!" She hissed through her teeth, her fists clinched at her sides. She looked as if she was seconds away from stamping her foot in frustration. "I can _feel_ you doing that! And it's cold! Not to mention creepy!" Confusion entered her beautifully deep sky blue eyes. "I don't know how it's possible but I can feel you searching me!"

So, it seemed that her senses had really become sensitive if she could sense him probing her. Her mind was protected from his probing, unlike all other mortals whose minds were an open book to those of the Supernatural world, the Chosen had been protected since her birth. He had not been able to read her mind, only her aura. Those practiced could sense things about others, even if their minds were shielded. In time she might be able to be able to strengthen or even lower her shields in order to let someone in if she so wished. It would take hundreds of years of practice for her to be able to do so though, Chosen or not. She would be able to read the minds of others once she turned eighteen and received her powers. There wouldn't be a shield on Earth that would be too strong for her to penetrate if she so wished.

If only she knew the power that awaited her. Power that was a burden as it came with substantial responsibilities. It was tragic that this one would soon be burdened with so much, the fate of the Earth and her race resting on her shoulders for the next five thousand years. Most of which she would spend alone.

Serena knew that Endymion was mentally unsound. She remembered what he had told her last night about Demons and Hellhounds and Angels. He was nuts, playing out some delusion that for some reason he was trying to involve her in. It was true that some things had happened in the last twelve hours – was it only twelve? There was no clock that she could see. – that had seemed far stranger than they had really been. There had to be perfectly rational explanation for everything she'd witnessed.

Serena took a step back from him, once again wary. He had taken her from her home and brought her to his. She had to get out of there and somewhere safe, wherever safe was.

Darien could read her intentions clearly in her eyes, as clearly as reading an open children's book. She was going to attempt to bolt. If only she knew that that was not possible until either he allowed her to leave or she came into her powers in six days time.

"Go ahead. Run. I will not chase after you." His tone was smug and Darien knew he was enjoying himself even though he should not be. She was barely more than a child in his world and she was a woman under his protection. He had been taught better than this, but it had been so long since he'd had . . . fun.

This surprised him. He was having fun watching and talking to her. How long had it been since he had last enjoyed himself this much? What was it about this little one that brought so much out in him that he had believed to be lost? Things that he had believed had died with his mother.

Not to be told twice, and like a fleeing little rabbit escaping a hungry wolf, the Chosen turned on her heel and ran as fast as her legs could move her.

Darien blinked, a little stunned. It seemed that the Chosen was able to run much faster and much more lithely than he had expected of a woman so petite. She was at one of the two doors at the other side of the living area in seconds and was already turning the door knob.

Realising her mistake, Darien raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth. As entertaining at it was guaranteed to be, he had better warn her before she inflicted harm upon herself.

"That's the closet!" Darien warned too late to prevent her from flinging open the door and running straight into hanging coats and the wall beyond. He struggled to suppress an amused chuckle at the muffled thump that was instantly followed by infuriated curses. Cursing like a furious hissing kitten she fell back on her backside in the doorway of the closet.

There were two doors, one lead into the corridor while the other had led her into his coat closet. In her haste, she had not made the rational choice to try the larger door with the locks on it first.

Darien had no shields or magical locks on that door. It was the closet. She was free to open it as she willed; the same could not be said for the other.

"Have you suffered harm?" Darien asked as he walked casually to where she sat embarrassed on the floor.

Serena looked straight up and glared at him as he stood over her, looking down at her with amusement in his eyes and a grin on his lips that could have turned Alaska into a summer holiday destination to rival Hawaii.

"It isn't funny!" She snapped, more irritated and embarrassed than afraid at her position at his feet. If he had wanted to harm her, he would have done so by now, instead of looking down at her with laughter in his dreamy deep eyes. There was also a gentleness she wouldn't have expected to find in the eyes of a man who had fought so capably and had killed so naturally the night before.

Serena quickly lowered her gaze away from his and –.

Ouch! Alright, she couldn't ignore her headache anymore! She had pushed it to the back of her mind when her focus had shifted to escaping, but now it was back with a vengeance. Automatically, her hand flew up to her head, cupping her forehead.

Serena raised her gaze back to his face in time to see the amusement leave his eyes, concern taking its place. His eyes were so deep, so intense, every emotion she had seen in his eyes was displayed so blatantly. Like the way he was looking at her now, the concern in his eyes was so powerful that it was so easy, so tempting, for her to believe that he deeply cared if she'd hurt herself.

"Where do you hurt?" Endymion asked her as he lowered to his knees beside her but made no move to touch her.

Why did he talk like that? So formal and polite. It was almost as if he'd been raised by an extremely old fashioned family who had kept him isolated from the real world that was the twenty-first century.

And those eyes! Serena couldn't stand them! Her attention was constantly pulled back to the dark blue depths. His eyes were too expressive, too deep and gorgeous! Combined with the handsome face and wavy black hair, this guy was a lethal weapon wrapped in godly hotness and double dipped in sex! She had to stop him looking at her like that. "It's just a headache."

With exaggerated slowness, as if he were afraid of scaring her if he moved too fast, Endymion raised his hand until it hovered just above her forehead.

Serena froze. What was he going to do? She'd seen those hands kill with ruthless efficiency, impossible speed and superhuman strength. He was capable of killing her before she even had the chance to realise that her life was in peril.

Although he said nothing, Serena could see in his eyes that he was asking for her permission to touch her. Why did he need to touch her? And why did he ask when she didn't have a prayer of preventing him any how? But the idea of him touching her again, of feeling the thrill, the electricity, which came with his touch, was too enticing not to feel again.

Endymion must have seen something in her eyes, because again with exaggerated slowness, he lowered two fingers to her forehead, and touched her skin with the barest of touches.

Instantly Serena felt that rush of icy, but also a somehow soothing, wave of foreign energy wash through her as if he was capable of electrocuting her simply with his touch. Icy cold, unfamiliar, electrifying. It set her body alive with awareness.

He pulled his hand away, and Serena realised that her headache was gone, as if it had never been.

What the . . . ?

Had he taken away her headache or had she been staring into his eyes for that long that it had simply faded?

"How . . . ?" Not many times in her life had she been speechless, but she was now. The guy was just TOO MUCH! His face – handsome in the divine sense, his body – perfect! The presence, even his smell – arousing! His look – smouldering! The way he could move – lethal in the truest sense of the word! And now he was able to take away her headache with a single touch? How in heaven's name did she stand a chance against him?

Was he an angel? Was everything he'd told her – Serena had a feeling that he hadn't told her much – true? Was he an angel and that's what caused her reaction to him?

Endymion shrugged, dismissively, as if it was no big deal and he did it all the time.

Serena somehow knew that that was the only answer she was going to get from him with that question, so she asked another, "Why?"

Something flashed in his eyes that Serena didn't understand. Something that had briefly looked like a combination of pain and guilt.

"You are a woman under my protection." Endymion told her in a tone smoother and softer than silk. "You are my responsibility. As such, if you are hurting it is my duty to relieve you of it." With that he rose to his feet, breaking the moment that had unknowingly settled between them when he'd come so close to her. "On my honour, you will not be harmed. I will keep you safe and my word to you will always be true. Your every need is my obligation."

Again, what the . . . ?

Was she trapped in a medieval movie or something? Since when did men talk like that? Since when did they speak of honour and obligation as if it were a crucial part of today's society?

But then, since when did _anyone_ have the ability to take away pain with a single touch?

Rising to her feet, Serena stepped back from him again, stepping in the direction of the second door, the _right_ door, all the while keeping her eyes glued to him.

"Speaking of needs, you must be hungry." Endymion extended his arm in the direction opposite the door.

Serena followed his gesture and gasped, her jaw dropping open.

On the far side of the living room there was a large black table, big enough to easily seat a dozen people – did this guy ever do anything the moderate way? – that she was half sure hadn't been there a moment ago. She was however, completely sure that it hadn't been piled with steaming food and elegant silverware.

Before Serena could question her sanity – yet again – the smell of sweet sticky maple syrup, bacon and coffee reached her nose and made her stomach growl in disapproval at being left ignored for so long. Her mouth watered and her eyes grew wide, never in her life had she seen such a spread of decorative and mouth-watering food. It was like something out of a fancy home and lifestyles magazine.

"It's all yours."

Serena wanted to howl in frustration. This man wasn't an Angel, he was a Demon! He was temptation personified. He knew exactly how to reel her in, to make her forget all about escaping. He seemed to almost know her weaknesses. Did he know that she only ever had dry toast or a small bowl of cereal with awful tasting coffee every morning for breakfast? She couldn't afford anything else.

At least not yet.

From where Serena stood, it looked irresistible and she wanted nothing more than to go to the table and dig in, but the door was at her back, her escape within reach. Her freedom was behind her and he was trying to make her forget it with food.

Even if that food happened to be more appetising than she'd ever even seen in all her life!

Serena had done some hard things in these few last years, but this had to be the hardest. Tearing her eyes away from the table and the food, Serena made her decision and once again ran for the door that was her freedom – the right door this time.

Serena reached the door without any intervention from Endymion, even though she hadn't really expected him to try to stop her, and reached for the door knob.

It didn't turn. Hell, the door didn't even budge in the slightest as she pulled, pushed and yanked on it. It was fastened firmly in place.

"You cannot leave." Endymion said a matter-of-factly from behind her. He didn't sound smug or amused, just straightforward. "You're hungry. Your body needs substance and you need to keep up your strength and your health. Please, come. Eat."

Serena looked at him over her shoulder. He had stepped back, his arm still outstretched in the direction of the table. He had strategically placed himself so she had a clear line to the table without getting too close to him while he still remained close enough to act should she try something.

For a moment, Serena could do nothing but look back and forth between him and the piled-high table. Damn him! How was he doing this? He was treating her like a princess instead of a prisoner and it was making her compliant and hesitant when she should have been escaping!

Serena slumped in defeat as her stomach growled even louder. He was right about having to keep up her strength. She would need it if she was going to be near him as well as find a way out of here.

Without looking at him, Serena abandoned the doorway, walked passed him and turned her attention back to the table. There were more aromas now, all of them blending together to form one mouth-watering aroma that tormented her.

All but two small areas of the table, both of which a table setting sparkled, were stacked high with enough food to feed everyone in her apartment building for the better part of a week. There was everything imaginable that one could have for breakfast. Eggs – done every which way from poached to scrambled to sunny side up to omelettes and French toast – bacon that looked perfectly crispy, sausages – by the colouring there was several different kinds – pancakes – more kinds than she could identify, she could identify plain, banana, strawberry, blackberry, blue berry, chocolate chip and then there were so many more than she couldn't name. There was also fruit – from ordinary everyday fruit like oranges, apples and bananas to the exotic, all of which was colourful and perfectly sliced. Pastries – croissants, Danishes, bagels, and more – and it went on and on, toast, jams, sauces, spices, and the drinks! Each in its own delicate crystal pitcher, there was every kind of flavour of juice, tea – several varieties in boxes with fancy writing – coffee, milk, sparkling water and on and on.

Where in the hell had all this food come from? Not only did it tease her nose and make her stomach howl hungrily, it made her mouth water with the need to taste everything and the sight made her appreciative of the beautiful arrangement. It had been so skilfully arranged that it looked artistic. Vibrant and bright colours and textures consumed the table in a way that was beautiful.

"Its all yours." A smooth soft voice whispered seductively in her ear.

Endymion was right behind her, whispering in her ear like the devil himself. He wasn't touching her at all but he was so close!

For a brief moment Serena forgot all about the feast in front of her and turned her full attention to Endymion at her back. She could feel the heat of him against her back; his proximity was making her body purr and hunger for something other than food.

Again, Endymion had to be the devil, he was temptation itself.

In fact if her stomach hadn't started protesting in earnest, Serena wouldn't have been able to stop herself from leaning backwards just to feel him against the back of her body. She was torn between the alluring man at her back and the tempting feast in front of her.

Finally, Serena's demanding stomach pulled her attention away from Endymion and back to the feast in front of her. She wanted Endymion, but she just couldn't bring herself to care that she might be missing her chance to have him.

Her eyes travelled over the table of their own accord, her mouth filling with saliva. This was for her to _eat_? It looked like an art exhibit!

Serena sensed Endymion move and a second later, he pulled one of the chairs – the one to the right of the head of the table, the only other place that had been set with the insanely expensive dinnerware was at the head of the table – and eyed her expectantly.

There was nothing else for her to do, she was trapped in the apartment and she was starving.

Serena numbly walked over to him and sat down as Endymion pushed the chair in behind her, as she'd seen done in fancy restaurants on TV. She was dreaming, she had to be. She wasn't some needy Cinderella!

Then why did she feel like she was?

Somewhere in her numb mind, Serena was aware of Endymion taking a seat next to her at the head of the table. In order to distract herself from the food _and_ Endymion – both of which threatened to make her drool – she studied the dinner and silver ware. The dinnerware was all black to match the table. Large square plates, with white silk napkins laid delicately across them and what looked like _crystal_ wineglasses. The silver ware sparkled and gleamed. Serena knew without asking that it was solid sterling silver. A single fork would be worth enough to pay her rent for a month!

"Eat."

Serena blinked, it had been a command and it had held a hint of warning to it. Had she not been so in awe of what not only lay in front of her, but around her, Serena would've told him where to stick his command, but right now the last thing she wanted to do was to fight with him. Fighting with him meant that it would be longer before she could feast on this . . . feast.

Not to mention the intensity, the uncontrollable . . . . something he brought out in her; something that could so easily have her running in the totally opposite direction of fighting for her freedom. A direction that would end with her back in that enormous bed, on her back, beneath him.

Serena closed her eyes against the purr of approval her body yearned to release.

Heaven help her. She had never known anything like this in her entire life. There was something about him that was pulling her to him, something that almost seemed familiar. As if from a memory from a dream from long ago . . .

Serena could feel his eyes on her. The way he looked at her, the way she could sense that he was looking at her now, was so intense and probing. It was almost as if he couldn't help himself but to stare at her.

Needing to distract herself from Endymion and his smouldering gaze, Serena opened her eyes and turned her attention to the feast in front of her.

"Thank you." Serena said softly, being careful not to look at him.

"It is my pleasure." Endymion was smiling. She could hear it in his voice.

Serena reached out and took a piece of sliced pineapple from the fruit tray stacked high with various and exotic fruits. Taking a small self-consciously bite, as she was more than aware that he was still shamelessly watching her, she almost gasped at the sensation of flavours that exploded in her mouth.

She'd had pineapple before, but never had she tasked anything like this. It was so sweet, but not overly so, it was so juicy and fresh. She could practically taste the fresh summer air that had nurtured the fruit into maturity.

Endymion smiled, pleased with himself at her reaction. The moment the fruit had hit her tongue, her eyes had widened and she had stilled, all her attention on the explosion of taste within her delicate mouth that made him think thoughts that were inappropriate towards a woman in his care.

The tiny Chosen did not know it, but everything at the table was the finest and the freshest in the world. He had summoned nothing less for her. Pineapples from Hawaii, coffee from Brazil, bacon and apples from Australia, and so on. In the blink of an eye, the food had come to his table from all over the world, ready to be eaten.

Demons and Angels alike did not eat, they did not need to. In fact human food could kill a pure-blooded Demon as their bodies were not designed to digest it and the human food was pure – or it had been in a time long ago – and anything pure was toxic to Demons. Angels could eat since they merely possessed the bodies of mortals, but what was the point? The Angels were able to sustain the bodies of their mortal hosts with their divine power.

Half-bloods however could eat as they willed but it was not necessary. Angels and Demons alike fed off the natural – or unnatural in the case of Demons – energies of the world around them, and so could half-bloods.

When Darien did eat, it was the finest, freshest, tastiest food the earth had to offer. Although foods had become less pure with pollution and the chemicals used to grow and preserve food, Darien had to admit that the imagination the mortals put into food now was extraordinary. Food was no long a means of surviving for the mortals; it was an art form. Mortals created dishes and flavours with such ease now that Darien had to admire his mothering race for it.

But watching the Chosen eat was more pleasurable to Darien than any dish. The expressions on her face as she savoured the taste of the pineapple were arousing.

Darien watched as the Chosen closed her eyes and moaned deeply, the sound so erotic that he was forced to look away before his body responded. How was it that a woman eating so enthusiastically could be so erotic? He wanted to watch her taste more but he wasn't sure if his was going to be able to do so for long before he would be unable to prevent his body from reacting to her fervour.

"I trust you like it?" Darien asked her casually, as he carefully hid his sexual hunger from his eyes and his expression.

"Like it?" The Chosen swallowed and opened her eyes to look at him. "I've never tasted anything like it!"

Darien chuckled softly to himself as she eagerly took another bite, a generous bite this time. "I'm glad. Please, eat all you wish." He looked pointedly at the table, reminding her that there was more than the pineapple.

"Don't say that." She told him as she swallowed and eagerly reached for a croissant. "I really will eat it all. I've never had a breakfast like this in my life!"

Darien watched her closely. There really was something so sensual about watching her eat. She was so expressive and unashamedly eager, her every thought and response was revealed clearly on her radiant face.

Inside Darien felt so delighted. It pleased him greatly that he had been able to delight her. Strangely, there was something inside of him which wanted to please her more. As often as he was able, in numerously different ways.

It wasn't until after Serena had eaten the sweet piece of pineapple, half of the croissant that had been crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle, a bite of bacon that was perfectly crispy, a quarter of a blueberry pancake covered in maple syrup and fresh whipped cream, half of a fresh juicy grapefruit, nearly a full piece of French toast and half a chocolate Danish that she realised that she was making a spectacular pig of herself in front of Endymion.

Serena had been so caught up in the delicious feast, each bite more delicious than the last, that she'd forgotten that she had an audience.

Swallowing the last of chocolate Danish, Serena glanced at Endymion to find that he was still watching her. He had been this whole time. Mortified, Serena looked down at the remnants on her plate.

What had gotten into her? Yes, she was starving and yes, she was being held captive after being kidnapped from her apartment, but her stepmother had taught her better than this! Her stepmother had taught her manners and to be a lady, as had her grandmother.

In an attempt to hide her embarrassment from Endymion, Serena picked up her napkin – that felt so soft that it was hard to believe that such fine material would be used for a napkin – and wiped her mouth as elegantly as she was able.

"Excuse me." Serena mumbled shyly. "I guess I was hungrier than I thought."

"There is no need." Endymion said with kind dismissal at her apology. "Everything on this table is yours. You are free to eat as much or as little as you please. Would you like a beverage?"

Serena looked up to see Endymion standing, his arm reaching towards where the liquids sat neatly, from juices of various rich colours to milk to tea and coffee.

"Juice please."

"Any preference?" Endymion asked her politely, patiently.

"No."

Serena watched Endymion as he quickly scanned the crystal pitchers for a few moments before he selected one with a deep reddish-purple juice within it and poured the dark liquid into her crystal wineglass.

"Try the mixed berry. It is divine."

Serena smiled at the unusual description and thanked him before she raised it to her lips. Before she had even taken a sip, she could smell the delicious aroma of exotic fresh berries. It smelled sweet and fresh.

Taking a sip, Serena closed her eyes and savoured the taste. Like everything else she'd tasted, it was beyond description. It was so fresh and sweet and smooth and perfect. She could almost taste each berry that had been used, even if she couldn't name them all. Each kind of berry was unique but somehow they came together in harmony creating a far more delicious taste together than the separate berries ever could have on their own.

Serena allowed herself to moan, although the sound was more like a purr, at the unbelievably delicious taste. It was almost a shame when she had to swallow the liquid that had surely fallen from the heavens.

With a soft sigh, Serena opened her eyes and looked at Endymion. She wasn't surprised to find him watching her.

The way he watched her, it was with such rapture. As if he would be content to do nothing but look at her for the rest of his life.

How did he do that? _Why_ did he do that? Why did he look at her as though he couldn't quite believe she was . . . real or something. There were things he wasn't telling her and it was time that she discovered the reasons why she was there.

Serena was able to remember most of the night before, even if she couldn't bring herself to believe all – if any – of what she'd seen or been told. Endymion had told her that there was a war between Demons and Angels, and that somehow it involved her.

Serena didn't believe him for a moment, no matter how much a small voice inside her head urged that maybe she should, but regardless of whether or not she believed it, Endymion did. Until she found a way to escape, she needed to play along for as long as she could. Endymion had promised that he wouldn't hurt her, and so far he hadn't, but he was obviously unstable and that made him unpredictable and dangerous.

She had to play it safe.

There was also the off chance, however, that everything Endymion had told her was the truth.

Serena blinked as that voice inside of her spoke up again. What was that voice? Where had it come from? Ever since she'd been forced to grow up, when she'd been sent to live with her grandmother, Serena hadn't wasted time in the world of make-believe.

Of course there was no such thing as Demons and a war for the souls of all mankind!

Serena refused to think the same of Angels. Her parents were dead, she had to have a small amount of faith that they were in Heaven.

Pushing the sad and conflicting thoughts aside, Serena turned her attention to more important matters, like her survival. She had to escape somehow, but when she did she wanted all the information she could to give to the police.

"It was a lovely breakfast, thank you."

Darien could hear the change in her voice just as clearly as he could sense the change in her mood. Suspicion rose within him as he studied her closely.

Physically, nothing had changed. The Chosen sat in her chair, her glass of juice held in her delicate hand, but there was a change in her. The change in her was as obvious as the difference between day and night. She held her body too tensely all of a sudden, she refused to look at him and when she did she refused to meet his eyes. Eyes that held a gleam that was calculating and her voice held an underlaying hint of tension. She had become alert and wary.

Now that she had eaten there was nothing to keep her there.

Darien mentally sighed. This Chosen had an unyielding spirit and immense inner strength – stubbornness some called it. These qualities would serve her well in the next five thousand years.

If she lived that long.

Although the Chosen were gifted with immortality – that lasted only five thousand years – it was actually rare for those of the Chosen line to live the full term. Once the choice was made, one side were allies while the other side became enemies who wanted the Chosen dead. The Chosen before the one who now sat at his table – her mother – had managed to live her full five thousand years. This had been miraculous in itself. Firstly the Chosen had been female and secondly she had lived her full five thousand years.

That a second female Chosen had been born directly from the first had never before been.

"Your name is Endymion, isn't it?" The Chosen asked him, pulling him from his thoughts. _Distracting _him from his observations of her. "It's an unusual name."

Hearing his Demonic name from her lips made Darien more uncomfortable than he'd been in a long time. He did not need to question where she had learned his Demon name. One of the Demon's he had killed the night before had called him by his Demon name. Darien was only surprised that she had heard it, he had not expected her to have been in the state to take much in.

It had been fortunate that she had not gone into what the mortals called shock, a condition that was not uncommon for mortals when they accidentally stumbled upon the Supernatural world.

Darien leaned back against his chair, visibly relaxing. Maybe if he relaxed and answered her questions, she would too. He knew she was going to try to escape him again, and even though she did not stand much of a chance until she turned eighteen and received her powers as the next Chosen, he hoped he would be able to convince her that he spoke the truth. It would be a lot less troublesome.

The Chosen was well rested, calmer and, for the moment, willing to listen. She was as ready to hear what he had to tell her as she would ever be.

"To some I am known by that name." Darien told her leisurely. "But I prefer Darien if you don't mind. It is the name my mother gave me."

Serena sensed that the conversation was going to take a while, so she pulled her legs up onto the seat of her chair and tucked them beneath her, holding her juice in both hands. Now comfortable, Serena turned her attention to what Darien – not Endymion – was about to tell her.

"How were you able to do what you did?" Serena asked him, remembering how he'd fought last night. How he had taken her across the city in seconds through some kind of portal. "Last night you mentioned something about magic or power or something, right?"

Darien knew she deserved to know the full truth, but there was no way that he was going to tell her that he was half Demon. He needed her to trust him until he could get her to Cassiel.

During the early hours of the morning, Darien had tried summoning Cassiel, but the Angel had not come to him. Until Cassiel did, Darien was stuck with the Chosen and he needed her to trust him, not fear him.

"To summon my sword and the portal, yes I used my power." Darien answered truthfully. "What you saw of me fighting was centuries of practice and superhuman strength, speed and senses."

Serena gasped and her jaw dropped. Had he said _centuries_ of practice?

"I am immortal. I am four hundred and ninety-eight years old. I was born early in the sixteenth century to a mortal woman but I was born with superhuman strength and senses and the ability to yield power as I pleased." Darien closed his eyes as painful memories flashed before his eyes. Memories made centuries ago but were still as clear and fresh in his mind as though they had only just come to pass the day before.

Unable to go down that road again, Darien moved the tale away from himself. Opening his eyes, Darien looked into the Chosen's beautiful wide eyes. "I am young in the eyes of other immortals. Yes, there are others." Darien added, answering her unspoken question, before he went on. "I was born into this war, just as you were, but I'll explain that later. First you need to know the beginning."

Drawing in a deep breath, Darien retold the story he had heard as a child.

"It is said that in the beginning there was only one kingdom. Heaven, a kingdom of light ruled by a being, a supreme power, known as the "Father". And still is, as far as I know." Darien added with a shrug. "Angels lived in peace under the Father. The most powerful of the Angels were the Circle of Seven High Archangels. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Samael, Zachariel, Remiel and Lucifer."

Darien watched as the Chosen looked up at him in confusion, just as he had expected.

"Isn't Lucifer the Devil?"

Darien was not surprised that the Chosen did not know much about Angels and Demons. Sadly, Religion and Faith were falling out of favour with the young, whereas in his day they had been a signifcant part of daily life. They had been a way of life. "He is, but he wasn't always. Lucifier was a powerful Archangel of Heaven, his name actually means 'Light of God'. It was said that Lucifer loved the Father more than any other, but sons do not always see eye to eye with their fathers." Like he and his own father, but that was a story he was not ready for her to hear. "Lucifer was powerful even for an Archangel, equal to Michael, who still remains the right hand of the Father."

"Lucifer had the gift of forsight that was unmatched amongst the other Archangels. He saw what was coming. He saw the decision the Father had already made. Lucifer saw that one day his father would create a second race. A race of mortals that would live below the clouds of Heaven that would be gifted with free will. A gift the Angels do not have. Lucifier foresaw what this race would become and the role Angels would play."

"Lucifer was said to have refused to bow before what he viewed as lower unworthy creatures and in doing so he defied the Father, the greatest taboo of Heaven. Lucifer swore that he would see the end of the mortal race and free his brothers from their binding duty to them. As punishment for his defiance, Lucifer was banished from Heaven to Hell, a lower kingdom of fire and darkness. It is said that it took Michael and his six Archangels to banish Lucifier. Uriel is said to have taken Lucifier's place in the Circle of Seven." Darien added as an after thought.

"Lucifier was the first of the Angels of fall from Heaven. The first Fallen Angel. And the most powerful, but he was not to be the last. Others shared his views."

"With every Fallen Angel, Lucifer grew stronger, and the Circle of Seven feared that Lucifer would break free of Hell into the new world of the mortals. To prevent this, the Circle of Seven raged a fierce war against Hell, leading an army of Angels into the heart of Hell itself. The lives of many were lost but the Circle of Seven managed to seal Lucifer in the deepest reaches of Hell, imprisioning him there with seven magical seals that could not be easily, if ever, broken."

"And so it was. Angels in Heaven, Fallen Angels in Hell and mortal kind blooming on Earth, but even with Lucifer locked away, the Fallen Angels began to change and grow powerful. This is how Demons were born. Hell twisted them until they became only shadows of their former selves. From their bodies to their souls they became consumed by evil."

Darien looked into the Chosen's eyes, taking a moment to study her. Her eyes were thoughtful now; it seemed that she was at least listening to what he was telling her. He did not know what was going on in that beautiful head of hers, but he strongly suspected that it was centred around his story.

"Long ago, much longer than you can concieve, a powerful ArchDemon called Azazel found a way to communicate with mortals. The mortal race was still young, barely out of infancy. It did not take long for Azazel to lure a young mortal into temptation. Azazel convinced this mortal to murder in his name. With each innocent life the mortal sacrified, Azazel grew stronger until he was powerful enough to break free of Hell and into the mortal world."

"It was through the sins of mortals that Azazel was able to grow strong enough to release more Demons from Hell upon the Earth. Within 1 Enoch, a book of the Apocrypha, it is written, _'t__he whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.'_ And the battle for Earth, and the souls of all humankind, began."

"To protect the mortal race and to prevent any earthbound Demon from gaining enough strength to free Lucifer from Hell, the Circle of Seven sent Angels, Heavenly Warriors, to Earth to stop the Demons from freeing Lucifer and destroying the mortal race."

"For millennia it seemed that the Angels would lose their battle on Earth and the Seven Seals would be broken, that Lucifer would be unleashed upon the earth. Fortunately Heaven intervened. Two of the Circle of Seven came to earth, Gabriel and Uriel. And so it was that Azazel died by Gabriel's hand."

"That was the last time an Archangel of the Circle of Seven left the clouds of Heaven. It is said that their power is too great for the mortal world to withstand."

Darien paused for a moment, allowing the Chosen to absorb what he had already told her. She had a very serious and thoughtful expression on her face. Her eyes were distant as she stared at her glass, although Darien knew she was not seeing it. She was too consumed by her thoughts.

She was so beautiful, only she did not know it. He could sense that she did not think much of herself, but she was so much more than she believed she was. She would have to have been, to be the Chosen.

Those of the Chosen line had always been special, unique, and strong in many ways, although some were more than others. He would have to teach her just how special she truly was.

She would need strength and courage if she was to face what she had to face, not only in the coming week but also in the coming five millennia. Darien hated the thought that she would soon have to face the horrors and burdens that came with the eternal war between Heaven and Hell. She was so tiny, innocent and fragile. How could she stand a chance against what lay on the path before her?

Until Darien could get her into the hands of the Angels, who would protect her – or destroy her if she chose to stand against them – he would teach her what he could, give her what strength and courage that he was able.

Cassiel had said that he had a part to play, maybe this was it. Maybe his part was to prepare the Chosen for what was to come.

"Azazel was dead and the Demons on Earth were significantly weakened, but as the insatiable creatures that Demons are, it did not stop them for long. No, their determination only grew stronger. Without a leader to lead them, the Demons scattered across the Earth and for centuries they were left leaderless. Until the rise of a powerful Demon, one who would name himself High Lord – basically king – of the Demons on Earth. His name was Valac and he was able to unite the forces of Hell on Earth and the war began anew."

Darien closed his eyes for a moment to fight against the intense emotions surging through him at saying his father's name.

"Valac did a great many things to gain his power, terrible and evil things that I cannot even begin to describe to you." Darien opened his eyes and looked up to see the Chosen was finally looking at him. She had such deep sparkling eyes that were so expressive that Darien felt his rage and hatred at his father fade until he could control it once again. "The most terrible of which was that he discovered a way to increase the number of Demons on Earth without using the extensive amount of power it took to raise Demons from Hell."

"It was on Earth, through the mortals, that Demons discovered the pleasures and advantages of physical fornication. Pleasures of the flesh had never been considered by the Demons or the Angels. At the time it was never known that a Demon could spawn a child, through either mortal women or through the few in number Demonesses. Conception was damn near impossible, it still is. That the Demons were so rough on females, mortal and Demoness alike, so few survived the mating and even fewer were able to give life to the Demonic child."

"This was the birth of the half-bloods. Beings that are half human and half Demon. Most half-bloods were born with the power of the Demons but without their weaknesses, such as being unable to enter the sun's light."

"But this was not the only way a Demon is able to be born." Darien went on after another brief pause. "With every condemned mortal soul to Hell, the Demons there, and Hell itself not only becomes stronger but they are able to twist the souls until they are either consumed by powerful Demons or become Demons themselves."

"Today the most common of Demons are those that had once been human. Throughout the centuries, more and more human souls have been cast to Hell. Most of these Demons are not the most powerful but they are many in number. Basically, they make up the Demon Masses."

"With three ways that a Demon can be born, the Angels are gravely outnumbered." Darien was not too sure of his knowledge of Heaven; he had only his father's gloating speeches to go on and what little information Cassiel chose to give him. "Apparently, so few of human souls taken to Heaven become Angels, at least Angels powerful enough to spend to Earth. With Angels at war and unable to conceive or give life to a child, their numbers are fleeting."

Darien looked straight into the eyes of the Chosen. It was time to tell the part that was most relevant to her. "There has only ever been one exception to this. Only one Angel has ever been able to give life to a child. A child that was unlike any other. Past, present or future."

"It was around the time that Valac came to power that the first of the Chosen line was born."

"So much of what happened was unthinkable and impossible in the truest of ways to both Heaven and Hell. An Angel and Demon, one who had once been of the Fallen Angels, fell in love right here on earth. That such a love was possible between the truest of enemies was needless to say, unheard of and forbidden. Somehow light and dark, good and evil, had found a way to not only co-exist, but to come together as one. This was a love that remained unseen by either side. Until it was revealed that the two had given life to a child, a child that was half Angel and half Demon. A child that should never have been probable, not to mention conceived."

"This child was seen as the ultimate act of treason. The child was considered an abomination as it was both and neither and it had no place in Heaven or Hell."

"As punishment for their treason, it is said that the Demon Mother was killed by her own kind and the Fathering Angel was for all time forbidden to leave the clouds of Heaven. In his misery at losing his love, the Fathering Angel took his own life. This left the child alone and defenceless."

"Had it not been for the mercy and love of one Angel, the child would have been killed. It is not known which Angel saved the child, but it is said that he gave the child to the mortals to care for. To protect."

"The female child, hidden in the world of mortals, grew into a woman who had no knowledge of where she had truly come from or of her abilities, until the war spilled into her mortal home. She realised that she had power over Angels and Demons alike and she was able to do things others could not. She had the powers of both sides but few weaknesses. She was the first of the Line of the Chosen. She made her choice that day to stand with Heaven."

"In doing so, she tipped the scales of balance to Heaven's side and for five thousand years, during which it is said that she gave birth to four children, Heaven held the advantage. Demons were unable to gain any form of upper hand. For many Angels, it was a time of needed rest."

"Until the first Chosen was killed, but fortunately one of her Line came into power and again chose the side of Heaven. The three other siblings faded into the mortal lines, having had no special abilities what-so-ever."

"And so every five thousand years, a direct descendant of the Chosen Line was born to take the place of the one before. Each given immortality for five thousand years until the next Chosen was born. With each Chosen entering maturity, on the eve of the Chosen's entrance into maturity, the powers of the Chosen Line was bestowed and the Choice was made."

"With each Chosen comes the Protectors and the Destroyers. Should a Chosen choose Heaven's side, he or she is protected by Angels and hunted by Demons, but should the Chosen choose to side against the Angels . . ."

"The Angels became the Destroyers." Serena finished for him in a quiet, thoughtful voice.

Darien watched her carefully, patiently waiting for her reaction.

Serena was trying very hard to wrap her head around what Darien had just told her. She hadn't originally intended to listen to anything he was going to tell her. She'd only wanted him distracted so she could think up a way to escape, but it hadn't been long before she'd been pulled into the story. It had been a captivating story of the classic good vs. evil, of Angels against Demons, but why had he told it to her?

Logic had returned to her when she had woken from the enthrallment of the story, but Serena had to admit that it wasn't so easy to explain everything she'd seen in the last twelve hours or so. Logic told her not to believe anything he had told her, but . . .

The way Darien had told it. He had been so serious, so practised. It hadn't sounded as if he were making up what he was telling her. It had sounded as though he was telling her something that he'd heard told over and over, and it was something that he truly believed, something he'd always known.

It would be so easy for her to dismiss what Darien had told her, to tell herself that he was insane, but something inside of her refused to let her.

Even if everything Darien had said was true, what did it have to do with her?

Serena had a sinking feeling that she knew the answer to that, but she refused to let herself even think it. It wasn't possible! Everything she had seen last night wasn't possible!

Serena looked up at Darien, feeling numb and surreal. "You think I'm some kind of messiah?"

Darien smiled, it was a faint hint of a smile, but it was there. "Not exactly. I know you are what we call the Chosen. I was sent by the Angel Cassiel to protect you until I can get you into the safe hands of the Angels." And then his smile was gone without a trace. "Valac, the Demon High Lord, the King, will stop at nothing to have you. The last several Chosens have gone against him. If he gets his hands on you, he will do all in his power, and believe me his power is great, to get you to Choose to stand with him. If he can't, he will kill you. Your death in his hands will be a mercy. What he could do to you is unspeakable and horrific."

Darien could see the fear building in her eyes, and he hated the idea of putting it there, but she had to know. She had to understand what would happen if she fell into his father's hands. "He will break you piece by piece until you beg for death. A death that won't come until every last piece of you is destroyed. Your body and your mind. There will be nothing left of you when he finally decides to stop your beating heart."

Okay, _now_ Serena felt the appropriate fear and trepidation towards him. Darien was insane and he was dangerous. She had to get out of there.

Right now!

Slamming her glass down on the table, sending its remaining contents raining down over the table, Serena leapt to her feet and fled from the table.

Serena was half way across the room when she miscalculated the distance between herself and the coffee table. Her foot slammed into the side of it hard. Pain shot through her like white-hot lightening and she became aware of herself falling through the air.

Time seemed to slow down until it was moving in slow motion. In a single heartbeat, it became clear to Serena that she was going to hit, and most likely go through, the glass top of the coffee table. It was going to hurt, not to mention cut her to pieces, possibly even kill her.

Instinctively, Serena raised her arms to shield her face, but there was little more she could do.

Closing her eyes, Serena waited for the impact, the pain and possibly even her death.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice whispered that she'd been born for more than this, that this wasn't how her life was meant to end.

That there was something she was still meant to do.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that and that everything made sense! Chapter 3 will be up as soon as I can get it posted. Promise!**


	4. Chapter 3 Dark Dreams

**Here's Chapter 3 ahead of schedule! Unfortunately I can't say when Chapter 4 will be up, sorry guys and girls!**

**Anyway, here's chapter 3. Thanks to everyone who has already sibmitted a review for chapter 2! They have been so inspiring, so thankyou everyone!**

**Enjoy**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Dark Dreams**

* * *

Serena hit the carpeted floor with a loud "oof!"

She felt her body impact with the carpet before she bounced back up into the air, before gravity claimed her once again and her body came to a heavy landing on the soft thick carpet.

Serena blinked.

Huh? What the . . ?

Serena opened her eyes to find herself staring down into the black fibbers of the softest, thickest carpet she'd ever felt. Analysing her body's position with her dazed mind, Serena realised that she was laying flat on the carpeted floor.

That wasn't right. At the very least she should've been laying on the cold hard clear surface of the glass top table, not on the floor.

Lifting her head and allowing her protective arms to fall away from her face, Serena looked around in sheer bewilderment.

She was lying on the floor in the middle of the living room right where the coffee table had been a moment before.

Everything else was as it should've been. The couches and everything else in the room was intact and in place. The only thing missing was the coffee table that she should've gone through.

All her life, Serena had been a little accident prone. This wasn't the first time she'd narrowly avoided a serious accident, but never before had the accident not occurred because the object that would've killed her had disappeared into thin air without explanation or reason.

Soundless movement drew her attention and Serena adjusted her gaze until she found herself looking at a pair of long legs wrapped in black pants standing by her feet.

Following the legs upwards, over a lean stomach and broad chest that wasn't so well hidden beneath his silk long sleeved shirt, Serena found herself staring into the godly handsome face of Darien.

It seemed that Darien had risen from the table and had walked over to her while she'd been trying to figure out what had happened.

The expression on his face and the look in his eyes were a contradiction. His expression was disapproving, while his dark eyes held relief.

Serena couldn't move. She was trapped frozen beneath his overpowering gaze. Never had she been more aware of his greater size, his commanding presence or the air of lethal danger he carried around him. He reminded her of a war-hardened solider. One who'd seen many brutal wars and had done many evil things. One who commanded authority merely with his presence and could kill as naturally as he drew breath.

Darien was a predator, a dominant predator – an alpha.

For a moment, Serena, as she lay helplessly stunned on the floor at his feet, could believe that he was a supernatural immortal solider who'd lived long and had done many things.

Never had Serena felt so small and helpless, never had she felt more like a cornered rabbit in the eyes of a starving wolf. He could do anything he wanted to her and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

And perversely, Serena had never been more sexually aware of anyone in her entire life.

"I swore I would not harm you." Darien told her, his voice hard and authoritative. "An oath I shall keep until my death, but you test my oath that no harm shall befall you while you are under my protection." His eyes narrowed with hard fixed resolve. "To protect you, I need you to stay, and so you shall. You cannot escape this apartment. I have wrapped it in a powerful impenetrable protection shield. There is only one way you can leave without my assistance. It is through that door, which will not open for anyone but me. So please, for your own sake, stop this foolishness."

"What happened to the table?" Serena asked through numb lips.

Serena watched through wary and watchful eyes as Darien sighed heavily and slowly lowered himself, bending his knees to balance on his hunches. He stared back into her eyes as he crouched over her, meeting her unblinking gaze steadily while making no other move towards her.

Darien could smell her fear just as potently as he could sense it. Fear of him. He didn't like that. He did not like the fear of any innocent, women and children especially, towards him.

For a brief moment, he himself had known gut-wrenching fear. Darien did not feel fear often, there was very little that he feared, but watching her fall through the air, about to go through a plate of glass, had made him feel more fear than he had in a long time.

He had not known fear like this since he had lost his mother.

Unlike his mother, though, the Chosen he had been able to save.

With a mere thought, Darien had been able to make the coffee table disappear into thin air in less than a second. She had landed on the soft carpet with nothing to interfere with her fall.

For a moment, after the table had been dissolved, Darien had considered catching her with either his arm or his power, but either would have only frightened her all the more. Power or moving with superhuman speed alike would have only made the situation worse.

As it was, removing the coffee table from his living room with a mere thought was having an effect on her.

Crouching over her, the Chosen looked even smaller and more delicate. It was still hard for Darien to believe that this tiny fragile creature was the one who had been chosen to fight in a supernatural war for the next five thousand years.

The thought of her facing Demons and the like, threatened to bring back the fear and panic he had felt the moment before.

What had her creators been thinking to choose this one? The last Chosen had been built like a mighty Amazon. She had been a woman warrior, born for a life of combat and war.

That the previous female Chosen had lived to see the end of her five thousand year term was a miracle in itself. What chance did this one have?

Realizing suddenly that he didn't even know her name, and that she was staring at him with fear in her eyes, Darien allowed his stance and his expression to soften, though he did not like it that she kept disobeying him and attempting to escape him. "What is your name, little one?"

It took a long moment for the question to pierce her numb, fearful mind and another for her to consider how weird it was for him to ask her that now.

What Serena didn't consider was whether or not she should answer him. There was something about him, that air of commanding authority he carried around him maybe, that had her answering without thought of possible repercussions.

"Serena."

Darien studied her for a long time while she stared into his eyes, unable to look away. Serena had no idea what he was thinking, but she knew it wasn't about hurting her. There was no malevolence in his eyes.

He wasn't going to hurt her.

It was that one thought that prevented her from flinching away when Darien extended his open hand and held it still barely half an inch from her face. He was staring into her eyes as if asking for permission to touch her.

That he would ask permission before even touching her cheek soothed Serena's fear somewhat.

Whatever Darien saw in her eyes, he took it as consent. Serena kept herself perfectly still as he, in the barest of touches, grazed her check with his fingers tips as if he only wanted to feel her skin.

"You have no reason to run Serena, but every reason to remain." Darien told her gently as he brushed her check one last time before he pulled back his hand.

For a moment Serena could have sworn that he'd looked almost . . . appreciative? Why? Because she'd allowed him to touch her? Or more to the point, that she hadn't attempted to _stop_ him from touching her.

Darien looked away and the spell over her was broken.

Immediately, her fear and her need to escape him returned. Serena scrambled to get to her feet, but the moment she put any pressure on her ankle, which had hit the coffee table, pain exploded through her.

Crying out, Serena fell back down against the carpet, being careful not to move her ankle again.

Turning back to Darien, Serena realised that his eyes were now concerned and alert. Reaching out with lightening speed Darien closed his hands down around her knees, and gently but with unyielding strength, held her down against the floor so she couldn't move.

Serena could feel the heat of his hands through the thick wool of her skirt. His touch, even though he wasn't touching her bare flesh, was electrifying. Although his hold was in no way painful, it was both commanding and possessive, and it was calling out to something deep inside of her. Something feminine and primal.

"Where?" Darien asked her sternly, leaving no question as to what he was asking or if she even had a choice in answering him.

How could one man be so possessive and commanding but gentle and caring at the same time?

"Ankle," Serena answered automatically.

Serena held her breath as Darien turned his attention to her ankle. Slowly, carefully, Darien lifted the soft material away from her skin and gently slid it up until he had uncovered her ankles.

Darien raised the material no further, instead he examined her ankle.

Serena followed his gaze and saw that a deep purple angry bruise the size of a cricket ball was already forming on her pale skin.

Ouch! She must've hit the coffee table – that was no where in sight – harder than she thought.

"Every time you run, you get hurt." Darien mused; his tone was a mixture of amusement and concern. "Does that tell you something?"

"Yeah." Serena mumbled under her breath, finally fed up with the entire situation. "I'm not running quick enough."

Darien chuckled softly, his mood improving. "I would not say that. You must have hit that table quite hard."

Serena stared at him. How in the world had he heard her? She'd barely heard herself!

Wait a minute! Hadn't he mentioned something about heightened senses or something? Had he been telling her the truth about that part? Could he really hear better than the average human?

Before Serena could question him about it, Darien gently placed his hand over her bruised skin.

Before Serena could even hiss in pain, that same cold sensation swept through her and the sharp throbbing pain vanished completely. When Darien removed his hand from her ankle, the bruise was gone as if it had never been.

That was the second time in less than an hour that Darien had healed her with a single touch, only this time Serena couldn't deny or explain it away as she had been able to with her headache.

He'd healed her with a single touch.

He'd heard what she'd said when he shouldn't have.

He'd made a solid coffee table disappear into thin air in the blink of an eye.

He'd fought horrible beasts and killed two men with a sword with superhuman speed, strength and agility. Beasts whose blood had eaten away most of her apartment like acid.

"What are you?" Serena whispered breathlessly, her eyes so wide that it was painful, but she couldn't find the control to relax them.

Darien was silent for a long time. Serena could see in his eyes that he was considering her question, maybe trying to find the right way to answer her.

Eventually, Darien pulled his hands away from her and rested them on his knees, still crouching steadily over her.

"I am the one who has sworn to protect you and I shall do so with my life." Darien spoke with so much resolve and purpose that despite everything, Serena felt her fear fading. "I can protect you, but you must trust me."

Trust him? Yeah, he'd been gentle with her, he hadn't touched her against her will. He had fed her and had protected her last night, but how could she forget that he'd kidnapped her and was holding her in his apartment against her will?

Serena had more reason to distrust him than to trust him.

So what was she going to do?

She could lie to him and tell him that she trusted him, maybe if he believed her she'd be in a better position to find a way to escape him, but she had feeling that he wouldn't believe her. She knew that he'd know if she lied to him.

Lying to a man who seemed to be able to read her so well would just be a waste of time, and despite everything that had happened in her life, she didn't like to lie. She was an honest person when she had so many reasons not to be.

"I can't." Serena whispered truthfully. A part of her did want to trust him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "I just want to go home."

"Even knowing they will be waiting for you?"

It was a challenge, a test. Serena knew it as surely as she knew anything else. He wanted to know how she would answer or react to the statement that hadn't been a question but a challenge.

"Then I won't go home." Serena countered.

"They'll find you wherever you go." Drawing in a deep breath Darien rose to his feet and offered her his hand to help her to feet.

Despite everything, after only a moment of hesitation, Serena took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet as if she were a helium filled balloon.

Serena gasped inaudibly, as Darien pulled her close, at the unexpected intensity from the sheer proximity to him. His presence, everything about him, was overpowering and intense.

Looking up into Darien's eyes, Serena unwillingly remembered the night before when he'd held her in his strong but gentle arms. She could feel the heat radiating from him – was it just her or was he hotter – temperature wise – than the average human should be? She could smell his sweet tempting scent that made her think of hot steamy passionate love making on an exotic beach and everything else sinful. He was solid beneath his clothing, solid muscle but he wasn't bulky, even though that made no difference. She had witnessed his true strength.

Darien could break her in half with his pinkie finger but instead he was gentle and careful with her. He hadn't hurt her, in fact he'd healed her when she'd hurt herself – twice.

Serena still needed to escape, but it might just be safe enough for her to wait for the opportunity. Not that she had much choice, she was trapped, a least for the time being.

What harm could playing nice bring?

But she wasn't going to play _that_ nice. No matter how gorgeous he was or how much sex appeal he had.

Forcing herself to break the spell that Darien's eyes held over her, Serena forced herself to take a step back from him.

"I'll stay." Serena told him calmly. "For now."

Darien studied her for a long moment before a grin spread across his lips. "Translation, 'I'll stop running, but the moment I get the chance I'm gone', right?"

Hearing him speak normally surprised her. Surprised that must've shown on her face because Darien laughed outright.

"I do have a television." Darien explained through his smooth chuckle.

Serena found herself laughing along with him. It felt good to laugh after everything that her overloaded mind had been put through.

With a deep relieving sigh, Serena looked around the apartment, taking it in more attentively this time.

This was when Serena spotted her reflection in a large mirror on a far wall and remembered the issue she had with her wardrobe.

"May I ask for one thing?" Serena asked him, taking the risk of looking into his captivating eyes once again.

Darien said nothing, he only raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Some different clothes?" Serena made a point of looking down at herself. "I feel like I'm on my way to catholic school in this getup!"

Darien's laughter vibrated through the apartment.

* * *

Serena knew she was dreaming.

There was nothing around her but light, Serena couldn't even see a solid surface beneath her feet. The light was bright and warm and safe. It felt so familiar, almost loving . . .

Serena could feel her long, golden hair trailing freely down her back, the golden ends nearly reaching her feet. It was strange; in the real world her hair wasn't that long. In the real world her hair hung loosely down her back and ended at her thighs.

She was dressed in a white silk nightgown that hung from her shoulders. The silk so smooth and cool that it felt like water steaming down her body.

There was something so familiar about this dream. Almost as if she'd had it before.

"You are the one, my darling." A familiar gentle female voice whispered around her, echoing around and through her. "You are the one we have been waiting for. The one who can bring peace to a war that has no true end."

There was something about the voice that made Serena desperate to find the woman speaking. She'd heard the voice before, but where? Who did it belong to and why did it make her heart ache?

"Where are you?" Serena cried out, desperately searching the light around her.

"But you will need his help, my darling." The woman told her. There was love in her voice; a welcoming soothing warmth.

Serena gasped in shock as she realised why the voice called out to her so potently familiar.

It was the voice of a loving mother speaking to her child.

"By Heaven's light and Hell's fire he will find you." The woman's voice was fading. "By his blade and his veiled heart you will be reborn."

No! Serena's heart shouted as she started to run through the light. She had to find this woman! She had to see her!

Suddenly there was a shadow, her shadow reflecting against the light.

Serena halted and looked at it.

It was not a normal shadow. At first it had only reflected her shadowed image as it should have, but then the shadow began to lengthen, to stretch away from her as if the light casting it was moving.

Serena looked around, except for the shadow, the light had not changed.

Turning back to the shadow, Serena gasped to find that the shadow was no longer attached to her, it was no longer her shadow.

It had grown to take over one half of the world of light around her so exactly that one of her feet stood upon the shadow while the other remained standing upon the light. She was now standing on both and in neither.

Serena understood. She was stuck in the middle and she had to choose between the light and the darkness.

The light felt warm and loving as it called out to her to step away from the darkness, to be part of it and be safe.

While the light felt safe, the darkness felt treacherous and cold but somehow still felt loving and protective at the same time. The darkness was also urging her to choose.

No, it wasn't the darkness that felt loving and protective. It was something in the darkness that loved her and yearned to protect her.

The light made her feel safe and warm but the presence hidden in the darkness made her feel safer and protected.

"Serena."

Serena gasped and whipped her head around so fast that it should've hurt, but there was no pain. There, standing several feet from her in the light was the figure of a woman who would've been Serena's mirror image, only the woman was older, her build was much more muscled and there was something in her eyes that made her seem much more older than she appeared.

There was love sparkling in her eyes and a warm motherly smile on her naturally red lips as she glowed even brighter than the light around her. She was shimmering.

Serena had to go to her. This woman loved her. This woman held all the answers and with this woman she would be safe.

Serena knew this woman, even though she'd never seen her before. Serena knew her.

"Mother?" Serena's voice trembled with disbelief as tears filled her eyes.

The woman smiled in response, confirming to Serena that what her heart was telling her was true. This woman was her mother.

Serena had to go to her. She had to step into the light to do so, and leave the presence in the darkness, but she had to go to her mother. The call pulling her forward was too strong to deny.

"Serena."

Serena froze as she had prepared to move into the light. She whipped her head around once more, to stare unseeing into the darkness.

Before her eyes, a tall dark figure appeared. He hadn't stepped out of the darkness; the darkness had retreated only enough to reveal him. Although Serena could see him as clear as day, she knew there was no light in the darkness.

"Darien?"

Darien was the presence in the darkness that was calling out to her. He did more than stand in the darkness, he was part of the darkness. A shadow that couldn't step into the light.

He was smiling at her, his face so handsome that her heart skipped a beat.

He was wordlessly calling her to him, calling her into the darkness.

"You must choose." Darien and her mother said together.

Serena looked back and forth between Darien and her mother, unable to choose which side to step into. Moving towards one meant moving away from the other and she couldn't do that.

How was this possible? Darien was a stranger to her; one who'd abducted her and was holding her prisoner, regardless of the gilded cage!

This woman was her mother, the woman Serena had wanted to know all her life! Why was there even a conflict within her?

The pain consuming Serena's heart was unbearable. Two side of her heart that could never unite were pulling her in opposite directions. It literally felt as if her heart was pulling itself apart, was breaking in half.

Serena collapsed to her knees, tears of distress and anguish flowing from her eyes.

"I can't!" Serena screamed to the both of them as she struggled to breathe against the agony. "It hurts!"

"You must choose. There is no other way." Darien and her mother said as one.

Serena knew she had to choose, but she couldn't. She couldn't choose. No matter which she chose, her heart would break.

"Heaven's light or Hell's fire." Darien and her mother started chanting, over and over, growing louder and louder each time. "Heaven's light or Hell's fire. Heaven's light or Hell's fire."

Their voices were so loud! They were everywhere! They were consuming her! They were inside of her and it was deafening!

"Stop it!" Serena screamed desperately, closing her eyes tightly and holding her hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to keep their voices out but it made no difference.

Her heart was burning so hot, so painfully, that it was burning her alive from the inside out. Between the pain in her head and the pain in her chest, Serena was lost. There was nothing but the pain and their chanting.

"Heaven's light or Hell's fire. Heaven's light or Hell's fire. Heaven's light or Hell's fire."

"I can't choose! Stop it! I can't take it anymore! Stop it! STOP IT!"

"Heaven's light or Hell's fire."

And then everything was gone.

It had happened so suddenly that Serena was left stunned and confused. She waited a few seconds, but there was nothing. No sound, no light, no darkness, no chanting and mercifully, no pain.

Warily, Serena opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the light and the darkness, a straight sharp line diving the two perfectly beneath her.

Lowering her hands from her ears, Serena hesitantly looked into the light to see her mother standing there silently, staring at her with loving eyes.

Without warning, Serena watched as her mother exploded into light and disappeared into it.

The light was so bright that it hurt her eyes but Serena couldn't look away, couldn't close her eyes.

"Mother! NO!"

Fear, loss and panic exploded in her heart and Serena hastily turned her head to the shadows to see Darien standing as still and as silently as her mother had been.

For a brief moment, Darien only stared soulfully into her eyes. His eyes were so dark that they looked black.

As Serena stared into Darien's eyes, he slowly blinked but when he lifted his eyelids his eyes were red and glowing. Evil.

Eyes that were identical to the two men Darien had killed in her apartment.

But his eyes weren't his only feature that changed. The flawless flesh of his handsome face stretched until it tore away. It happened so fast that the flesh of his face almost exploded away from him to reveal an inhuman twisted face of black and red flesh.

Flesh that looked almost identical to the hide of the two beasts Darien had killed that had come with the two red eyed men. His flesh was black with red lightening-strike like marks running along his hairless scalp and face.

One flickering horrified glance over his form told her that it hadn't just been his face that had changed, his entire form had changed. He was bigger, taller and broader by more than three times. His hands were massive and thick, with thick sharp talons instead of fingernails.

But Serena couldn't look away from his eyes. Eyes that were glowing brightly with evil intent within them.

'_Demon.'_ A soundless voice whispered in her mind.

He reached for her with his taloned claw-like hand and Serena screamed.

* * *

Darien sighed heavily, unable to shake his unease.

After he had fed the Chosen – Serena – and at her request, given her another set of clothing that she seemed far more satisfied with, she had retreated to the bedroom and that was where she'd remained for the rest of the day.

Darien had summoned a selection of modern books and magazines for her – he hadn't failed to notice the collection of books she'd had in her apartment – along with more clothes, including sleepwear and some personal items that she would need, such as a toothbrush and hairbrush. He had brought her her meals on a service cart and had allowed her to eat in the bedroom in which she had confined herself.

At no time had Darien told her that she was confined to the bedroom, but it seemed that she was more comfortable in there with a wall between them, so he had endeavoured to bother her as little as possible.

What the young woman named Serena, the next Chosen, did not know was that even though there was a solid wall between them, he was aware of her every move. He had been watching her for most of the day in his mind's eye – not once had his sight drifted to the bathroom when she used it to change or shower, he would not act in any way indecently towards her – along with the surrounding area and the rest of the apartment building.

Mostly, Darien's attention had been on the young beauty. She had almost eagerly, despite her current situation, spent most of the day reading her way through two of the books he had presented her with. Although most had been modern texts, Darien had not been able to resist including a few works from his own collection into the pile.

To him, the works had been items that he'd collected during his long life, but to her they were rare and valuable classic editions that aroused her interest and fascination. She had handled them so carefully, as if fearing she would damage the items that were in such a perfect condition that they appeared to have been recently printed.

Though that was because Darien used his power to restore and preserve his collections.

After Darien had presented Serena with her dinner – he had chosen to give her a variety, from freshly made traditional Italian lasagne and pizza to Chinese black bean beef with traditional fried rice to freshly baked bread and delicate French pastries and sweet fruit for dessert – she had disappeared into the bathroom with a magazine.

Not once had Darien peeked, but his superhuman hearing had told him that she was taking a bath. During which Darien had focused all of his senses elsewhere.

Darien had been beyond tempted to peek but his gentlemanly and chivalrous morals – to which he held highly valued, as his mother had taught him – had held him fast, preventing him from doing such a thing with his own iron will.

He had sworn to protect her and so he would, even from himself.

After her bath, Serena had retired to bed where surprisingly she had fallen asleep with little difficulty.

Outside of the apartment, Darien's senses had only been put on alert twice. Two individual Demons had entered the area, one just after sunset and the other while Serena had been enjoying her bath.

Both had been Seeker Demons, Demons with senses that were exceptionally acute, even for Demons. There was no question as to what it was that they were seeking.

Darien had watched them vigilantly until they had moved a safe distance away. His apartment was well shielded, but there were still ways he or the Chosen could be detected.

Fortunately, the Seeker's probing senses and the Demons themselves had not been powerful enough to detect or probe through his shields, but that would not always be the case. There were other Demons whose power and senses would be more than powerful enough to detect and even penetrate his shields.

It was only a matter of time before they were found. All Darien could do was hope that either Serena was in the hands of the Angels or that he was given enough warning to flee with the Chosen.

Darien did not like the idea of running from a threat. It went against his pride and his honour to run and hide like a coward – keeping out of the war was one thing, but this was another thing entirely. He was no coward. He was a solider who had been raised to fight for the right reasons. He had his honour and his pride. Running and hiding felt cowardly and dishonourable, but he would do so if he needed to.

He had the Chosen, a woman, to protect.

Well after midnight, when the moon was high, without warning, a surge of power rippled through the apartment.

Instantly, Darien tensed and in less than the blink of an eye, he had transported himself into the Chosen's bed chamber – the strongest of Demons did not need portals to travel short distances. The more powerful the Demon, the further he could travel – it was basically the ability to materialize out of thin air. Darien himself could travel over four thousand miles, but it was dangerously draining on one's power and energy.

Darien summoned his enchanted blade to his hand and enchanted armour around his form – one of the only few things that had a chance of stopping an enchanted blade – and he prepared to battle while probing the location with a mental scan to detect the location of the intruder.

His shields reminded intact. There was no one in the apartment but the Chosen and himself.

Puzzled, Darien scanned the room itself more attentively, the act taking but a fraction of a second. At which his attention was pulled to the bed at his back where the Chosen slumbered.

Another powerful wave rippled through the apartment, coming from the bed behind him.

The wave of power had not been that of a Demon or an Angel. It was coming from her.

Darien turned and sent his power over her, scanning her, instantly realising two things, firstly that although the power was coming from her, it did not belong to her and secondly, she was dreaming.

Her eyes were dancing beneath her delicate lids and thick long lashes and her hands were gasping desperately at the covers she held clinched tightly in her tiny fists.

"Stop it!" Serena suddenly cried out desperately.

Deciding there was no threat he could battle with his sword, Darien banished his sword and armour, his normal attire returning to his form with a single thought before he turned his attention back to Serena.

Darien hesitated only a moment, torn between waking her up and in doing so freeing her from her nightmare and the indecency of touching her without her consent, before deciding. He had sworn to protect her, he had to wake her up and free her from whatever it was that was distressing her.

"Mother! NO!"

It had been a long time since Darien had heard such fear, desperation and pleading in the voice of any, let alone a woman.

Darien grasped her bare arms – she wore a white silk negligee he'd summoned for her to sleep in – in a gentle grip and shook her gently, trying to rouse her from her sleep. "Serena. Serena!"

Without warning, the Chosen let out a blood-curling, terrified scream and her eyes flew open.

Darien stared down into her wide terrified eyes helplessly. She was still lost in her nightmare; her mind had not yet allowed reality to return.

Darien did not know how to comfort her. He had not been in this situation since he had been a young boy living with his mother. Even then, his mother had never been terrified of _him_. Not once had he seen fear of him in his mother's loving eyes, even after he had become the fierce skilled warrior his father had trained him to be.

His mother had only feared his father, and she had done so with justifiable reasons.

Darien stared down into Serena's eyes. He could see it as plain as day that he was what renewed the fear in her wide eyes, even as realisation finally dawned in the sky blue depths. She knew she was awake, but whatever had been in her dreams had terrified her. A terror that had transcended into the world of the conscious.

Before Darien could offer a comforting word, Serena began to struggle violently against him and his hold, even though he couldn't fell her strength at all. A part of him warned against releasing her, that she may cause herself harm – once again – but a much more dominant part of him demanded that he release her as she wished.

The man his mother had raised was a gentleman, despite the Demonic blood in his veins.

Releasing his hold of her and rising to his feet, Darien stepped away from her. He moved slowly, even by mortal standards, but kept his eyes upon her. When fear ruled the mind, mortals tended to act without rational thought. He would not allow her to endanger herself.

Twice she had caused herself harm under his care, Darien would not allow there to be a third.

The moment Darien stepped back from her, Serena leapt off the opposite side of the bed and into the corner of the room, her back to the wall and her terrified eyes on him.

Serena knew she was awake now. She hadn't been surprised when Darien had released her and had retreated away from her the moment she'd made her wishes to be away from him apparent.

A part of her, a part she didn't want to explore too closely right now, told her that she was being stupid, that he wouldn't hurt her, but the dream had felt all too real. As had the terror that hadn't faded with the dream. She was safe with him, this she knew, but there was something about him that screamed at her not to trust him.

No matter how much she wanted too.

Darien was dangerous. He wasn't human, he was something else. Something she couldn't name.

In her dream Darien had become what she assumed was a Demon – although if that's what they really looked like or if it had been her own imagination, she wasn't sure – but something in her told her that that couldn't be right.

Why would a Demon of Hell put his life on the line to protect her? A trick, maybe?

Serena looked into his eyes. There was something about him, something _honest_ and _honourable_. When he'd sworn to protect her, he'd meant it. When he'd told her that he wanted no part in this war, he hadn't been lying.

And as crazy as it sounded, even in her own mind, he didn't _feel_ like a Demon. Now that Serena thought about it, allowed herself to remember, the two men who'd come for her that Darien had claimed had been Demons, had felt different, cold and although it wasn't possible, they had felt _evil_.

Darien didn't. Darien felt . . . . safe.

Serena shook her head in irritated confusion. She wasn't making any sense! How could she feel both safe with him _and_ afraid of him? It was a total contradiction! In her dream, Darien had felt safer than her own mother who'd been a being of light and love!

Serena felt so confused, so lost and conflicted, that her head was hurting. She felt so frustrated and powerless. Inside of her, what she'd always known and what she'd recently learned were warring against each other as her mind fought in vain to decide which to believe.

She was torn between two worlds, the world as she'd always known it – the rational world – and the world that she'd been forcibly brought into in the last two days – an impossible and irrational world.

Unable to stand it, Serena buried her face in her hands and tried to shut it all out. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home and somehow forget any of this had ever happened. She wanted to go back to her normal, boring life!

"You're alright now, you're safe," came a gentle soothing whisper from the other side of the room.

Serena raised her head from her hands and looked up at him, relieved to see that Darien was still standing on the other side of the enormous bed. He had made no move towards her and for that she was grateful.

'_But for how long would she be safe?'_ A wary voice whispered inside her mind. A voice filled with caution and doubt.

"I want to go home." Serena whispered pathetically, like a small, frightened child who'd lost her way home. And she felt like that too and she didn't like it. She was strong and independent and she went her own way. It was how she'd managed to survive the tragedies and trials of her life.

Serena stared into Darien's dark eyes, pleading him to let her go home. In response, something flashed in his eyes and then they softened with sympathy.

"I'm sorry." Darien sighed sadly, looking just slightly defeated. "For what little it is worth, I wish you could too. You don't belong in this world, but there is no place for you in the Mortal World anymore, either. You have seen too much. You can't just forget it and go on with your life as if nothing happened."

"Why not?" Serena asked meekly, her voice that of a small upset child.

"Because you can see now, see what lies in the darkness." Darien sighed once more. Maybe she would finally understand. There was no way for her to go back. "And that means that what dwells in the darkness will always know you."

"I never asked to be shown this!" Serena exploded angrily, clearly now at the end of her tether. "I don't want to know any of this! I don't care about some stupid war between monsters and Angels!"

"No one does want this." Darien said calmly in the face of her fury and anguish. "You were born into this life. From the day you were born, you have been destined to play a crucial part in this war and in the fate of all, Mortals and Immortals alike. Soon you will be more than you ever thought you could be. Soon you will be what you were born to be."

Darien gave her a sympathetic look. "I know it has already begun, that's how you knew me for what I was when you first saw me in your apartment. I saw it on your face, in your eyes. Only, you didn't know what it was that you were sensing. Your senses are too young, too new. Every day they will become stronger in preparation. Soon you will know a creature from Hell with one look, you will feel them many blocks away. Angels too."

Darien raised his hand and a ball of fire appeared floating magically about his open palm. It looked like a small furious sun. "In only a matter of days you will be granted great power with which you can bend even the elements to your will. You will have the power to fight Angels and Demons alike. Very few will ever be able to stand in your way." He looked up into her eyes, significant meaning in his. "Soon you will have a chance to be as an Amazon Queen. Fighting either with or against the darkness of Hell. The same darkness Hell wishes to consume Earth with. Earth is the Gateway to Heaven and Hell, the Middle Kingdom Whoever claims the Earth claims all. Earth, Heaven and Hell.."

Darien dismissed the fireball and looked deeper into her eyes. "You are one of the few who will have the ability to stand between Heaven and Hell and the destruction – or the salvation – of the Earth."

"Why me?" Her words sounded more like a plea than a question.

"I don't know." Darien answered truthfully, after a long moment of silence. "All I know is that this is what you were born for."

"And if I don't want any part in it?"

Darien stared long and hard into her endlessly deep eyes that were so childlike that it threatened to break the heart he did not believe he had. "Then many innocents will die in a ruthless power struggle between Heaven and Hell."

Darien allowed his eyes to soften as much as the eyes of a being, that was half Demon, were able too. "The fate of all rests with you."

Serena could do nothing but stare at him as her entire body shook with so many emotions, each of which was warring against the others. Why did Darien have to sound so genuine, so truthful, when he said that? How could she continue to think he was nuts when he believed what he said so vigorously?

Serena wanted nothing more than for Darien to be some crazy wack job who'd escaped from a mental hospital. She didn't want to know that Demons existed in the shadows; she didn't want to be some kind of champion in a war that she had no place fighting in.

But most of all Serena didn't want to be trapped alone with him in a bedroom, not with her nightmare so fresh in her mind. She could still feel the warmth of Heaven's light shinning on one side of her body and the cold darkness of Hell on the other. She could still hear her mother's words echoing in her ears and see the monster Darien had become before her eyes.

Heaven's light and Hell's fire. Heaven's light had been her mother, Serena had felt that in her dream. She still could feel it.

As Serena stared deeper into Darien's intense dark eyes, she had to wonder if her nightmare had also been a warning about him. Was he really a monster wearing a man's face?

Even when Darien had turned into a monster in her dream, she hadn't been as terrified of him as she should've been. In fact, she'd still been drawn to him.

In her dream, Darien had been Hell's fire. If she stepped into the darkness, he would consume her like merciless fire.

'_By his blade and his __veiled heart you will be reborn'._

Her mother's words echoed in her mind. What had her mother meant?

'_By his blade.' _Was it a warning that he was going to hurt her even though he seemed so resolved in his vow not too?

And reborn into what? If she chose to step towards Darien and into the darkness, would she become a monster like him?

A monster.

Serena suddenly understood that she should fear Darien far more than she did. Was she so wrong about him? She wanted so desperately to believe that he was human, but the fact was that he wasn't. Normal people couldn't move and fight the way he did, normal people couldn't summon portals and hold fire in their hand.

She'd made a grave mistake. She'd started to trust him when she shouldn't have. He wasn't normal. Chances were that he wasn't even human . . .

Before Serena knew what she was doing, she was running for the door. She had to get out of there. She had to get as far away from him as possible.

It didn't matter how safe she felt with him or how easy it would be to trust him. She had to run, regardless of that voice inside of her that screamed at her not too.

Oh god, she was so confused and conflicted. She didn't know which way was up or down.

Serena ran as fast as she could. She didn't expect Darien to try and stop her. One thing she knew she could trust in him was that he wouldn't touch her. He hadn't touched her once without her consent – except to shake her awake when he'd realised she'd been having a nightmare, that was understandable and forgivable regardless of what he really was – and she didn't think he'd start now.

And she was right. Serena flung open the bedroom door and ran for the front door once again, this time choosing to run around the living room rather than through it.

Serena heard no sounds of pursuit behind her, not that she expected too. Darien was stealthy when he moved, swift and silent.

And dangerous, Serena reminded herself sternly. Darien was extremely dangerous.

Serena reached the door that was her escape without hindrance. A large part of her didn't expect her to be able to open the door, just like last time, but she didn't care. She had to try something. She had to get away from him, she couldn't stay couped up with him alone a moment more.

In the space of two days, her life had gone from boringly normal to downright insane and dangerous. She wanted her normal, boring life back. She wanted to go to work and gossip with Mina, bicker with Lita and giggle over stupid things with Amy. She wanted her run down apartment and her father's old books that she'd read a thousand times. She wanted to feel safe and normal again.

And she wanted to go back to a time before she'd had dreams about her mother that tore at her heart. She'd never known her mother and she missed her father so much that it hurt.

Behind her, Darien watched from beside the living room couch as Serena reached the door and grasped hold of the door knob. Desperation, fear and pain – the emotional kind – rolled off of her in waves. Whatever her dream had held, it had distressed her greatly. There were tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall and she was feeling pain that she was refusing to deal with.

Her need to flee had become a desperate compulsion, but regardless of everything she had endured, had been through, he could not let her go. She needed to understand that. If was for her own safety.

It was for that reason that with a mere thought, Darien allowed the door to open, knowing there was no one in the hall beyond to see what was to come. It felt cruel, but she needed to understand. She had to stop running from him if she was to survive the next four and a half days.

Serena was startled when the door knob turned beneath her hand and she felt rather than heard the catch release. She didn't stop to wonder why the door was unlocked or why Darien didn't act to stop her.

Without hesitation, Serena threw the door open and -.

- ran straight into an invisible barrier.

Serena raised her hands to the invisible barrier that blocked the doorway. There was nothing there, of that she was sure. Nothing physical anyway. The barrier felt solid, there would be no moving it, but it was empty – but solid – air.

It was as if the air itself refused to let her pass through the doorway.

Serena slumped in defeat, leaning her head down to rest her forehead against the barrier. The barrier felt solid and smooth, but that was it. That was all she could feel. It didn't feel warm or cold, hard or soft. It just was.

Serena could feel Darien's eyes on her, he was standing somewhere behind her, she could sense him even though she hadn't heard him make a sound. She couldn't even hear him breathing.

And then that night in her apartment – had it really only been the night before last? – played in her mind's eye far more clearly than it ever had. This time she saw it as it had been, this time she saw what her mind hadn't allowed her to see, hadn't allowed her to believe.

Serena saw Darien with his sword killing the two – what had Darien called them – hellhounds as easily as she could kill a slow moving injured spider. The monstrous beasts had been twice the size of full grown lions and a hundred times faster and stronger, but Darien had been even faster and even stronger.

And then Darien had fought the two men – not men, Demons – and he'd killed them both. They'd moved so much like Darien, but their eyes . . . their eyes hadn't been those of a human. They'd been cold, ruthless and evil. There had been nothing warm or sorrowful within them.

And Darien had killed them, with superhuman strength, speed and agility, to defend her.

Even now, after the dream in which Darien had been a part of the darkness and the evil of Hell, Serena had felt protected. She'd felt safe enough in his presence that she would have stepped into Hell's fire with him.

Even now, Serena still felt safe. She still felt secure in her belief that he was still willing to protect her.

Serena closed her eyes and whispered flatly, "This is all real, isn't it? Everything. The Demons, the Hellhounds, Hell. Everything."

"I'm afraid so."

Serena opened her eyes and a tear fell free from her eyes. Strange, she hadn't even noticed them gathering in her eyes. "There's no going back, is there?"

"I'm sorry." And he meant it, that Serena could tell.

Pushing herself away from the invisible barrier, Serena slowly turned and faced him, at the same time facing what she did not want to face. It meant loosing too much, being responsible for too much, for the impossible.

Serena stared at him, studying him. To Darien it felt as if she were seeing straight through him, all the way down into his soul – if he had one – and seeing everything that he was, everything he had ever done, every sin he had ever committed.

Her eyes were so deep, so expressive. He could read everything through her eyes. He could see her fear, desperation and uncertainty. He could see her hesitation to believe what was right in front of her. He could see her indecision to put trust in him and he could see her struggling with something that he was certain had something to do with him and her dream.

Darien watched her warily, not sure how she was going to react.

Serena stared into Darien's eyes, searching for something. Exactly what it was that she was searching for in his patient but watchful eyes, she didn't know, but Serena knew that she had to make her mind up about him once and for all, one way or the other.

As she saw it, she had two choices. The first was to continue to find a way to escape from him, however futile her attempts might be, and take her chances on her own, but if she did that and more Demons came after her, she wouldn't stand a chance. Her second option was to take a chance on Darien and trust him, trust in him to protect her. This would mean believing in everything he'd told her and accepting that maybe, just maybe, she was what he said she was.

What if it was all true? What if it was actually possible? What if she was some kind of powerful warrior in a war between Heaven and Hell for the sake of the world? Was it arrogant of her to believe that she might be someone so special, so important? Every girl dreamed of being a princess or someone just as important and special. Every girl dreamed of being different and extraordinary, being someone others cherished and fought to protect.

And if she was this Chosen, someone born to decide the fate of a supernatural war for the next several thousand years, did that mean that Darien was her knight in shining armour? God knew he'd swooped in and saved her like one.

Darien had even done so with a sword.

At the thought, a girlish giggle escaped her lips. Serena knew that this wasn't the time for giggling, but she was so out of it right now that she couldn't help herself. The thought of Darien in gleaming silver armour holding his sword – even though she knew he wasn't human – was down right hilarious.

For a moment, Darien feared that Serena had lost her senses when she started to giggle, but then it dawned on him that it was only her mind shielding itself from emotional overload. He found himself becoming distracted by the sparkle the laughter brought to her eyes. For a moment, she came to life. Her eyes sparkled with laughter, colour returned to her cheeks and she was smiling.

The sight took his breath away. Had he ever seen such a beautiful woman in all his centuries? Sure, there had been women who had caught his eye – he wasn't human but he was still male – but never had a female – Mortal, Demoness or Angel – captured his complete attention the way Serena managed too.

What was it about her that made him feel like he had a heart just as his mother had always insisted he did? Darien had met a Chosen before – Serena's own mother, the previous Chosen who had died the day she had given birth to Serena – and she hadn't had the effect Serena had on him.

Maybe it was that she was so small and delicate. It was hard to believe that this small woman was the one who would decide the fate in the war for the next five thousand years and it was even harder to image her fighting anyone, let alone an Angel or Demon. Was that what was bringing out such fiercely protective instincts from him?

Darien had not been this protective of a woman since he had been old enough to understand that his mother had been in danger from his father and his father's minions. He had failed to protect his mother but maybe he had a chance to redeem himself by not failing this woman.

Serena took a step towards him and away from the door, and Darien used the opportunity to close the door.

With a mere thought, the door slowly closed behind on her of its own accord.

Serena heard the door close behind her but she paid it no attention. Whether the door was open or closed she wouldn't have been able to escape anyway.

Instead Serena slowly walked across the room, her eyes never leaving his, and she came to a stop a few feet from him. There was no longer any fear in her eyes. The look in her eyes had changed; the conflict previously within those baby blue endlessly deep depths had been resolved.

It seemed that she had made a choice.

"Even in the darkness-." Serena said gently, calmly, as she stared unblinkingly up into his eyes. "- I still knew you'd protect me."

To anyone else, the comment would have seemed crazy and random but instead it gave Darien some insight into her nightmare.

The Chosen, even before they gained their true power, had superhuman senses. It seemed that she was now able to tune into him, his Demonic side and his Demonic power. Although she was too inexperienced and untrained to know what it was that she was sensing. To most of the weak and untrained, it was difficult to read him, since he was half human, which partly cloaked his Demonic side, at least while he was in his human form. It was another reason why he had been able to hide so well for so long from so many. To other Demons his scent and power footprint was weaker compared to that of the full blooded Demons.

There was a fragile trust in her eyes now. It seemed that her decision had been to trust him, at least in part.

"I will protect you." Darien pledged to her once again. No matter how many times he had to say it he would make her believe it. "From any danger, even if it should cost me my life."

Darien could think of nothing more worth dying for than this tiny beautiful creature who was so helpless against his dark and evil world.

"Your face, it wasn't human anymore."

Ah. So that was why she had woken so afraid of him. It seemed that something within her saw him for what he was while the rest of her precious struggling mind refused to let her acknowledge it – while she was awake at least.

Serena saw something flash in his eyes at her words, and in that flash of unrecognisable emotion, Serena learned all she needed to know. For the time being at least.

Darien wasn't human. He was something else, something supernatural, but the strange thing was that he didn't _feel_ like the other Demons had. Now that Serena had allowed herself to accept the truth of what she had seen in her apartment the night before last, she could remember feeling something when the Demon had been close to her.

She had felt evil and wicked intentions. She had felt the evil and what she assumed to be Demonic power within him, but Darien didn't feel like that. There was something there, something she could feel but it was weak and hard to get a sense of. Maybe he was like the monster in her dream, maybe he wasn't, but either way he wasn't human.

But that did nothing to change her decision to trust him, to place her life in his hands. She didn't have a choice if she wanted to live.

Darien was not sure how to tell her the truth about him, but he knew that he had too. He owed her that much since she had decided to trust him after everything he had put her through.

Darien opened his mouth to tell her everything that he had neglected to tell her the morning before at breakfast when silent alarms vibrated through him, warning him that they were no longer alone.

Intruders. Someone – something – was trying to break through his shields. They were many and they were powerful. It seemed that his secret was out and his father had sent not only a team of Demons, but the one Demon – apart from his father and his father's top right hand Demon, Dagon – that he truly hated. This Demon was his father's second right hand man; he had been for the last decade ever since he'd stabbed his predecessor in the back. Literally.

His name was Shax, a Hell-born Demon, who had freed himself from the pit just before Darien had been born. Shax had long sought the favour of Darien's father and had been jealous of Darien in the truest must ruthless sense.

Over the centuries, even though Shax was young in the eyes of most, he had risen to power fast. He was skilled in combat, in the true Demonic style – ruthlessly and dirty. He was powerful, merciless and the worst of his kind.

On top of it all, Darien knew that Shax's will and determination would be relentless. Darien was all that stood between Shax and the rewards and power the Demon King would bestow upon the Demon that handed him the Chosen. This would give him his most coveted desires in one swoop – the favour of the Demon King and the power that came with it, and of course the chance to kill his rival, the Demon Prince Endymion.

Shax was Darien's equal in power, combat and cunning, although it had been decades since Darien had come face to face with him. No doubt Shax's power and skill had grown, along with his bloodthirsty drive for power.

Darien did not know if he could defeat Shax and that was if they faced off one on one. When they had trained together during the days Darien had spent with his father, they had been equally matched, although Shax had claimed victory the more often because of his dirty tactics.

One on one, Darien had a chance, but Shax had brought others with him. No less than four Demons accompanied Shax and they weren't lower level Demons like those he'd faced in Serena's apartment. These were far more powerful, skilled and intelligent.

As it stood, Darien knew his chances of getting out of there alive were slim and there was no chance of him handing Serena over to them to save himself. The best he could hope for was to buy Serena enough time to run.

If Heaven was on Serena's side at all, Cassiel would see that the Chosen was unprotected and find her.

Darien summoned his enchanted blade to his hand. He had seconds before they made it through all of his shields. He had shielded the building, another on the floor and three shields on the apartment. Having so many powerful shields up had drained his power somewhat, but he was powerful and experienced enough that it had not drained him too much. He would still be able to put up one hell of a fight.

The only satisfaction Darien felt was from the knowledge that while Shax could expect to be rewarded for delivering the Chosen to the Demon King, he would be punished for killing the only son of the Demon King. Shax would not get the reward he was expecting.

Darien urged Serena back until her back was to the floor to ceiling windows looking out over the city in the living room and turned his back to her, tensing his body in preparation for combat. Once he had Shax and the Demons distracted well enough, he would summon a portal for Serena.

How had they been found? Darien had scanned the shields only an hour before. They had been in place and had been powerful and firm. There had been no weaknesses in them. He had never been found like this before, not while he had been safe inside his shields.

Sure, Darien had been spotted a few times by something that knew him for what he was and they had reported his location to his father for a reward. A time or two he had made a mistake and he had been sensed, but mainly he had been found because of his sister. His full-blooded Demon sister Rei was a powerful Seer, who had visions of him from time to time. But he was certain that Rei had never seen the location of his safe houses.

It must have been the power surge Serena had sent out in her sleep. Somehow, it must have either been sensed through his shields or it had penetrated them without him knowing.

Darien turned his full attention to the door as they broke through the shield protecting the floor.

Darien had no way of knowing how they had found him but it did not change the situation. He had to focus on protecting the Chosen now, even if it did cost him his life. If he did lose his life this day, it would not be for nothing. He would assure that Serena had a chance to get away before he left this world. At least his life would mean something and he could atone – in part – for failing to protect his mother when he had promised her that he would keep her safe from his father.

Serena would not be the second woman he failed. His hold on his sword tightened and he allowed his power to surge through him, ready to obey his commands. He may be facing his death, but he would not be the first to go. He would be sending as many of them – hopefully Shax included – back to Hell.

"I do not know how, but they've found us." Darien took a moment to look at her over his shoulder. "If they kill me, run. I'll summon you a portal. Once you're on the other side, run. Don't stop. If you can, try to find the Angel Cassiel. Trust no one but him. He will keep you safe. Demons cannot use their senses in cemeteries. Find one. It will hide you, but not forever."

Serena's eyes grew wide in horror as Darien turned his attention to the door, his sword raised and held tightly in his hand as he stood protectively in front of her. She could sense it. There was great and powerful evil on the other side of his door, so much more powerful than that night at her apartment.

The truth dawned Serena and she stopped breathing as she stared into the back of the man who was about to die to protect her.

There was nothing Darien could do to save her or himself now. They had been found by Demons far more powerful than those before, several of them.

Darien didn't stand a chance. He was going to die.

For her.

In an explosion of black fire, the door exploded inwards with a deafening boom and the stench of rot and death and evil filled the room. The shock wave from the explosion felt hot, but all Serena could feel was icy cold dread.

Darien was going to die for her and she was going to be left at the mercy of his Demonic killers.

* * *

**Chapter 4 will be posted as soon as I can, promise!**


	5. Chapter 4 Dark Distractions

**Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that it's been a while since I've posted. I haven't stopped writing, it's just that life has gotten in the way of me getting to the local internet cafe to post. You see, before I moved to Tasmania I had access to at my local library (that was conveniently located two doors down from where I lived) but here in lovely little Tasmania, I don't. I have to travel a full 90 minutes to get online, and when I do get into town I have a long list of things to do and unfortunately lately posting hasn't been at the top.**

**In order to apologize for my disgraceful absence, I will be posting 3 chapters today!**

**A real special thanks to my wonderful editor AngelONight for editing so quickly and also to Hooyabean for the kick in the butt with her wonderfully motivating email! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Dark Distractions**

* * *

At first Serena could only see a lone figure – one enormous figure – standing in the doorway, but then it became clear that there was far more than one man entering the apartment. As the dark figures stepped out of the dust cloud where the door – and a good portion of the wall – had once been, she realised that there were six of them in all.

Serena studied them from behind Darien, who stood steadily and protectively in front of her. They were all huge in that they were tall _and_ bulky with layers upon layers of muscle. They were all dressed in black – mainly leather – all except for the first of them. He wore black pants with a blood-red silk shirt beneath his heavy black coat that ran to his knees. His hair was pale blond. When he turned his head to look around the apartment Serena noticed that his hair was long. It ran right down past his shoulder blades, pulled back in a pony tail at the base of his neck.

Serena blinked, stunned. She'd never seen hair like that on a guy before. He was fortunate that he was so bulky or else he could have been mistaken for a female.

Dismissing the ill-timed ridiculous thought – there were far more important things to worry about right this moment – Serena noticed Darien tense in front of her, still and battle ready, his eyes glued to them. She sensed power rise up around him, it made the air bristle around her.

The men – no, Demons – Darien was protecting her from were dangerous and they were powerful. The stifling air had become unbearable the moment they had entered the apartment. The air was sparking, no longer prickling. She could feel their power. It was icy cold, malicious, and left a vile taste in her mouth; it was a feeling that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention and scream that she should run.

Serena now understood what Darien had meant in that she'd always know a Demon. She could sense them, from the smell of root and decay to the air they carried around them, which crackled with evil power and malice.

And their eyes. There weren't words to describe the hollow darkness within their glowing eyes. The colours of their eyes varied but all were inhuman shades, from deep blood-red to dirty yellow to pure black. Although the colours and shades of their eyes varied, the cruelty and blood-thirst within them was the same.

Their eyes scared her far more than she'd ever admit and not because of the way they glowed or the evil they revealed. No, their eyes terrified her because they looked so much like the eyes from her dream, the eyes Darien had when he'd turned into a Demon.

Only Darien's Demon eyes hadn't been filled with evil. They had been the eyes of a Demon, glowing and red, but they had held the same look within them as Darien's eyes did when he looked at her.

Darien was edgy from being surrounded and irritated that he could do nothing while they surrounded him, from his left to his right with his back – and Serena – against the windows that overlooked the city below. The warrior within him screamed at him to act to somehow prevent himself from being surrounded, to fight and teach them just who it was that they were dealing with, but moving in any way would leave Serena vulnerable.

He was trapped. He was outnumbered six to one and he had someone – an innocent – to protect. He was going to die. Darien had known this the moment he had felt them probing his shields. The best he could hope for was to somehow buy enough time for the precious burden at his back to flee.

Darien glared into the dark red eyes of his life-long nemesis. He could practically feel the triumphant and evil anticipation buzzing from Shax, who stood directly before him with an evil sneering grin on his lips.

"Endymion. It's been a long time." Shax's voice, though on the surface sounded non-threatening and cheerful was anything but.

Darien did not dignify him with a response. There was nothing to say between them. There never had been anything worth saying.

Shax's gaze shifted from him to the small woman who stood nervously behind him. "And you must be Serena. The Chosen one." He leaned to his right in order to get a better look at her around him and he raised an eye brow in what Darien recognised as lustful interest.

Darien tightened his hold on his sword and adjusted his stance ever so slightly to his left, keeping himself firmly between Serena and the greatest threat. Of the Demons Darien recognised – which was all but one – Shax was the greatest threat, the one most skilled, cunning and ruthless. This Demon took ruthless cheating to an art form.

"You are beautiful, just as she said you'd be." And Shax set himself firmly on both feet once more.

Darien's eyes narrowed in understanding. He knew exactly who Shax spoke of. So, somehow his sister Rei, his father's prized Seer, had seen something that had betrayed the location of his safe-house.

Darien did not wish it so – he held nothing against his half sister – but if Serena was ever going to be safe, Rei would have to die. And so the Angels would see to it regardless of whichever side Serena chose. He knew he would never be able to harm Rei. He did not love his sister but his mother had taught him honour and principles. Rei was his sister and so long as it was his choice, he would never harm her.

Darien stared straight into Shax's eyes, allowing him to see the hard resolve within his own eyes. "Look at her all you will, but never shall you lay hand upon her."

Shax considered him for a long moment before he erupted into boisterous, amused laughter, the other five joining in with him a single moment later.

Darien used the moment to summon a second enchanted blade to his other hand. In the space of a single heartbeat, Darien analysed his situation and the other five Demons in the room.

It had been centuries since he had been within his father's circle, but it seemed that little had changed. The four of the five Demons whom Darien knew were well skilled and loyal to his father – or as loyal as a Demon could be. A Demon was only loyal as long as it served his best interests, but since Shax was still the second right-hand Demon of the Demon King, it was a safe assumption that they had not excelled beyond Shax's skill or power.

Darien knew Shax well enough to know that as the coward that he was, Shax would never allow men to join his unit who could easily turn against him and kill him. No, Shax would want powerful and skilled Demons who were capable but could not best him.

This meant that one on one with him, they would not stand a chance against him. Darien was more than skilled enough to kill them all without much difficulty. Without Shax, Darien was confident enough that he could face all four in battle at once and still hold a good chance of emerging victorious.

It was Shax and the unknown fifth that made Darien uncertain.

Darien took another moment to size the unknown Demon up. He was young, younger than even him, but he was far too powerful for his age. Out of the five Shax had with him, this new one was the most powerful and he held his blade with confidence that would have easily been mistaken for youthful arrogance, but it was more than that. This Demon had great confidence in his skill with a sword.

There was something crucial Darien did not know about the fifth Demon in Shax's unit.

And then there was Shax himself. He was the greatest threat. Unlike himself, Shax had not spent centuries hiding and sitting out of the war as he had. Darien was no fool. He knew Shax's skill and power had grown and again it was not knowing how Shax had changed over the decades that put him at a great disadvantage.

This was a fight he was not going to win but if there was anything left in this world worth dying for, it was the woman at his back.

Serena knew the moment Darien had summoned a second blade that he knew just how bleak his chances of surviving were. She could hear it in his tone and she could see the truth of just how slim his chances were in the eyes of the six Demons surrounding them.

They were too cocky, too triumphant, as if they couldn't wait to get it over with. Serena knew what was going to happen to her; she could read it in the lustful leers they kept sending her. They'd hurt her before they handed her to their Demon King. What the Demon King held in store for her, she didn't know, but she suspected that it wouldn't be such a far cry from what these men held for her.

Somehow the leader of the Demons, the one Darien seemed to be the most focused on – he must have been the one Darien considered to be the greatest threat – had known her name. She hadn't missed it when he'd referred to a woman being right, but who he was talking about Serena had no clue.

And again, they'd referred to Darien as Endymion.

Ever since she'd woken from her dream – only minutes ago, although it seemed as if it'd been an eternity since she'd run from the bedroom – the name Endymion brought the face of Darien in Demon form to her mind's eye.

What if her dream hadn't been a normal dream? What if it had been some kind of vision or warning? She was meant to be this special and powerful Chosen one, right? Was it so impossible that visions were beyond her abilities now?

Was Darien really the Demon in her dream who'd lure her into the darkness?

And so what if he was? So far all Darien had been was the one who'd risked his life to save her. He had fought beasts – no, Hellhounds – and Demons for her. He'd killed for her and he'd done everything to keep her safe. Never had he hurt her, never had he shown ill contempt towards her.

She had decided to trust him and that's exactly what she'd do. At least until he gave her sound reason not to. But either way, one thing Serena wouldn't do was allow him to die for her. She owed him her life where he owed her nothing.

Serena turned her full attention to the Demon in front of Darien. The leader, she was sure. This one was more powerful and far more evil than the others, she could feel it. The evil power she could sense emitting from him was stronger than then that of the others.

There was also something else there. Something between him and Darien, something from the past. There was spiteful resentment in the Leader's eyes that created tension between them that seemed simular to sibling rivalry.

If any of them were going to kill Darien, it would be him.

No! There had to be a way for her to stop this! She couldn't let Darien die for her. The thought was like death to her. Serena couldn't explain it and she wasn't going to waste time analysing it now. All she knew was that it left dread, fear and panic in its wake.

Serena had always liked to think of herself as a survivor. She'd had to be in order to survive what life had thrown at her so far. An advantage of this was that she could – under normal circumstances at least – keep a cool head in dire situations.

Serena had to distract them somehow so Darien might have a chance of gaining an upper hand. Somehow.

The only problem was that she had no idea how she was going to distract them. She knew so little about Demons, even about herself, that she had no clue as to what would distract them, even momentarily.

'_If you ever find yourself in a situation you can't handle-.'_ Serena blinked as Lita's gentle voice whispered into her mind. Words from a memory from a year ago when Serena had nearly been mugged, Lita had given her some pointers in case something like that ever happened to her again. _'- play whatever game you can to buy time until you can think of something better. Remember a few minutes might be the difference between life and death. Help might come or you may see something you didn't see before that will help you get out of there. Just remember to keep your head and keep them distracted.'_ Serena almost smiled when she saw Lita's sisterly smile in her mind's eye. _'Men aren't too difficult to distract.'_

Did that go for Demon men too?

Hang on! Serena's eyes grew wide as an idea hit her. It was a long shot but it was worth a try. Anything was worth a try! Play the game!

She'd possibly had some kind of vision or something in her dream and Darien had said that she'd get all kinds of powers when she made her choice – how this happened and what powers she would get Serena had no idea.

Not to mention that this was the only idea she could come up with.

Hoping and praying, Serena turned and looked out the window, staring out into nothing which hopefully would give her a kind of blank expression. With any luck this would make her eyes seem glazed over or at the least, out of focus. She had no idea how this worked, but it was all she could think of.

Now what the Hell was she supposed she do?

"The city is burning." Serena blurted out, hoping that she sounded far more out of it to them than it did to her own ears.

Serena felt eyes on her and she held her breath. Were they going to buy this or was she just making an idiot of herself?

God, she hoped that she didn't end up distracting Darien or worse, getting him killed, doing this!

Keep a straight face, girl! Serena silently kept telling herself. Keep a straight face! Don't blow it now!

What was it that her mother had told her in her dream that had sounded like something that someone having a cryptic vision would say?

"By Heaven's light and Hell's fire he will find you." Serena flatly repeated her mother's message from her dream. "By his blade and his veiled heart you will be reborn."

Serena sensed them all tense at her words and turned their full attention to her, including Darien, although he hadn't taken his eyes from the Demon leader. Serena could feel their eyes on her back. Their gazes made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she felt exposed turning her back to them.

Great, just great. Her plan was working but it was working too well. Darien seemed to be under the same belief that she was having a vision too. She had to clue him in on the fact that she was faking to distract them.

"She's giving birth to a prophecy." One of the Demons said, in almost religious awe.

Giving birth to a prophecy? Yay! It was working. It seemed that visions and prophecies were something that happened in the Supernatural World, but what the Hell was she going to say now? Prophecies were longer than one line, weren't they?

To say that she had no idea what she was doing would be the largest understatement in the history of the human race.

"Heaven's light or Hell's fire." Quick! What rhymed with fire? Prophecies rhymed, right? Um . . . Fire, dire, hire, liar, tire . . Sire! "There will be but one obeyed Sire."

Wow. If she lived through this maybe she should try her hand at writing some poetry.

Serena took a moment to draw in a dramatic sudden intake of breath and she forced her eyes to open wide as if she were seeing something unbelievable. Now she somehow had to clue Darien in, if her luck held out.

"A battle rages on a disappearing floor."

Darien blinked as he realised that something wasn't quite right.

For a long moment Darien had believed that Serena really was having a vision or something like his sister – it wasn't unheard of for a Chosen to have visions and give birth to prophecies – but something wasn't quite right.

Darien had witnessed Seer's having visions and the like, and Serena did resemble what he had seen. Eyes glazed over, staring off into space, talking cryptically in an emotionless hollow tone, but something was off.

And Darien had no idea of what it was that was off until Serena's next words reached his ears. "While a distraction lies beyond an open door."

And then it all clicked. A disappearing floor and a battle. She was referring to the battle he had fought in her apartment. Serena was not having a vision! She was talking to him.

A distraction.

Darien fought the urge to smile proudly at her. Clever girl. Small and physically weak she may be, but Serena had a mind that was sharp and dangerous.

Tightening his grip on his swords was the only betrayal of Darien intentions.

Serena was distracting them to give him a moment's advantage and that was all he would have. She was risking a lot to give him this chance that he would gladly take. If she wanted him to fight, even with her there, then so be it.

Darien felt renewed strength and conviction course through him. Serena believed in him. She believed that he had a chance. That he would save her and he was not going to fail her.

Battle. Distraction.

'_So be it, my brave little Chosen.'_

It took Darien only a moment to plan his first strike, one that would break the trap they had him held within and give him a chance to relocate Serena to a more defensible location.

Darien returned his attention to Shax. He was pleased, and even slightly surprised, to find that the majority of Shax's attention was focused on Serena and the words flowing smoothly from her mouth.

Words only Darien understood the true meaning off, although not even he had understood the first part of what Serena had said, _'By Heaven's light and Hell's fire he will find you. By his blade and his veiled heart you will be reborn. Heaven's light or Hell's fire, there will be but one obeyed Sire.'_

Most likely Serena had made it up, but there was something to it that made Darien want to think twice about that assumption.

Pushing it from his mind – at least for now – Darien sent a silent prayer to . . . well, no one. There was no one who would answer it. There was no one in Heaven or Hell who would listen to the traitorous half-blood son of the Demon King on Earth.

And then Darien was in motion before any of the six Demons could react.

Momentarily leaving Serena unprotected, Darien leapt to his left, swinging his main enchanted blade while thrusting his second outwards.

Black blood splattered across the walls and the floor as the head of the Demon nearest the window went flying through the air, separated from his body. Before the Demon's head even made it half way across the room, the Demon's head and body exploded into black flames – known to those of the Supernatural World as Hell Fire – and disintegrated into black ash.

Darien released his hold on his second blade, abandoning where it lay impaled in the chest of the second Demon. He had missed the Demon's heart, but it was a fatal wound none-the-less. It would only take the Demon longer to die.

Even if another Demon took the time and the power to heal him, the second Demon was out of this battle, although it was unlikely that any of the remaining four Demons would waste the time or power on him. The power needed to heal such a serious wound was extensive and it would not only take them both out of this battle, it would weaken the healing Demon enough to risk him getting killed himself.

Darien sensed Shax and the other three Demons leaping into action and he acted swiftly to take hold of Serena and more throw her than pull her into the corner of the room behind him.

Once again Darien stood between Serena and their enemies, only now she was in a much more defensible position with four foes instead of six.

Darien summoned another enchanted blade to his left hand. He felt far more optimistic now than he had before. Serena had taken a risk and it had paid off in that it had worked. She had managed to distract them well enough for him to strike. Two of the six Demons were out of this battle and the odds were not as bleak as they had been.

There was still a good chance that Darien would perish in this battle, but now there was a flicker of hope. If he still had to die at least he was now confident that he could give Serena a chance to run.

One moment Serena had been staring out of the window, the next it had felt like she was falling through the air and then she'd found herself in a corner looking into Darien's back. She'd felt the heat as Darien had killed one of the Demons while a second lay on the floor by the couch with Darien's second sword protruding from his chest.

Serena couldn't believe it! She'd done it! She'd managed to distract the Demons enough to give Darien a chance to strike! She'd actually been able to help him and he'd taken out two Demons!

Maybe they stood a chance after all.

"That was pointless, Endymion." The Demon Leader's deadly and furious voice hissed from beyond Darien.

Serena's hopes deflated as the fear and dread returned. Then again, maybe not. She'd been a fool to believe that it would be that easy.

"You have changed nothing, Endymion." The Demon Leader scoffed. "You are still going to die and we're going to take her."

"Then why do I see fear in your eyes, Shax?" Darien grinned, his words taunting as he expertly flipped his swords over in his hands like they did in Mortal martial arts movies.

Serena realised with astonishment that Darien was trying to intimidate them. They may have been Demons and fighting with swords, but men were men. Everything was ego and pride and testosterone. The whole 'mine is bigger and better than yours' thing that no female understood.

Serena peeked under Darien's arm up at the Demon Leader's – Shax Darien had called him – face. He looked royally pissed off and dangerous.

"I'll teach you about fear, Endymion!" Shax roared and raised the sword Serena hadn't noticed him holding a moment before.

Had he done that thing where he'd made a sword appear from thin air like Darien had?

Before Serena could think about the question, chaotic and blurry battle broke out in the apartment.

Darien was no longer standing directly in front of her and Shax and his three remaining Demons were no longer standing around them. They were all moving so fast that all Serena could make out was the occasional flash of colour, a piece of clothing, the gleam of the blade of a sword and ear-piercing clinks and clangs from metal contacting brutally with metal.

Without Darien visibly standing protectively between her and the Demons, Serena found it near impossible to keep her fear and unease at bay. Her mind felt numb and everything became surreal.

Unable to do anything else, Serena stepped back further into the corner until her back was pressed into the corner as far as was physically able. She wrapped her arms around herself as if it could make her invisible to them and she could do nothing but stare wide eyed into the living room where a battle was raging far too fast for her eyes to comprehend.

Within seconds, most of the furniture – the lounges, coffee table, the dining table and so on – were all destroyed beyond recognition as if they were made of tissue paper instead of wood, glass and metal.

Drops and thick sprays of red and black blood coated the floor, walls and windows, evidence of the brutal battle raging on.

Who was winning? Was any of the blood Darien's? If so, how badly had he been hurt? Was he dying this very moment trying to defend her while he was so gravely outnumbered?

Oh god! Please don't let him be hurt! Serena would give anything for him to be alright! She'd only known him a matter of hours but in that short period of time, Darien had become such a vital part of her life – not to mention her survival – especially now that she was trapped in a world she didn't know or understand. How could she possibly survive in it without him?

She needed him. She needed him to be okay.

Something black filled her vision.

Had she passed out?

Serena blinked and dazedly realised that she was staring into what she recognised as black stretch cotton and leather. Something was between her and the battle and it wasn't Darien.

Serena was certain that Darien was dressed in black pants and a dark green long sleeved silk shirt. Darien wore no black shirt or leather jacket and she doubted he'd changed his clothes for the battle.

With a sinking feeling, Serena raised her gaze until she found herself staring into a pair of dirty-yellow Demonic eyes.

Eyes that definitely did not belong to Darien. Eyes that were in a head that was far too close to her.

Eyes of the Demon now standing over her.

Serena could do nothing to stop her mind from racing back to the final moments in her apartment when she'd been trapped in her bedroom with a Demon who'd clearly been intending to take way too many liberties.

An impossibly large hand was reaching for her; a large hand that was tattooed with strange black markings that disappeared beneath the sleeve of his leather jacket.

The thought of him touching her made her in serious danger of losing the contents of her stomach.

Serena shrank back into the wall until her body screamed in painful protest, but she was trapped. There was no where she could go to escape the Demonic hand not only a few scant inches from her.

A sense of daja vu consumed her terrified mind as memories flashed before her open eyes, memories from the night of her first contact with the Immortal World. The Demon looming over her with evil intentions in his evil hollow glowing eyes . . .

But before the yellow eyed Demon could actually touch her, he was gone. In the blink of an eye. Where there had once been an enormous beast of a Demon was now empty air.

An instant later, a few feet from her, the large tattooed Demon erupted into flames before he'd the chance to even utter a startled sound.

Blue. Serena was staring into a pair of blue eyes. Eyes that were deep, intense and gorgeous. Eyes that were caring and concerned even though they were hardened by the ferocity and violence of a battle to the death.

Darien was standing in front of her with his back to the Demons who wanted to kill him.

Serena realised two things all at once. Darien had left the battle to defend her and in doing so had turned his back to the remaining three Demons to kill the Demon who'd gotten by him and to check that she was alright and in doing so he'd left himself vulnerable to the enemy.

Serena looked over his shoulder just in time to see the Demon Shax grin triumphantly and raise his sword as he leapt forward. The point of the blade aimed directly at Darien's heart.

A fatal blow.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, even though the Demon was moving so fast that he was only a blur of colour.

Without any thought at all, Serena was in motion. Maybe Darien hadn't expected her to move into harms way and that was how she was able to do what she did.

Serena ducked under Darien's arm in which he held his sword that was dripping with black blood, her hand flying up as she moved. Her palm outstretched towards Shax and the two Demons flanking him, all Serena knew was her will to not see Darien die. To save him as he had saved her.

She WAS going to save him. He WAS NOT going to die for her.

Even if she had to die to prevent it.

Warmth and an intense sense of power surged through Serena before she could comprehend it. It started in her chest, building like a ball of hot glowing power and an image flashed for a brief moment before her eyes.

An image of a beautiful woman who looked so much like her, only older and with greater build, filled her vision and was then was gone.

And then the ball of heat and power shot from her chest, down her arm and exploded from her hand, forcing her to pull her attention away from the woman she'd seen in her mind's eye.

'_Protect!'_ Serena ordered it, unexplainably knowing that it would obey her. How, Serena had no clue, but she trusted it. It had come from too deeply within her not too.

Darien's hand shot out to pull Serena back into the corner where he could protect her. He was no fool; he knew Shax would try for his back. Darien had been counting on it, intending to use the moment of arrogance on Shax's behalf to end him.

But Darien's hand froze in midair as his eyes widened in shocked astonishment. Serena was glowing, brighter and brighter. The light was bright, warm and powerful. His skin tingled from the power radiating from her.

The power and warmth strongly reminded Darien of the light he'd felt in his dreams of her.

Shax's attacked never came.

Darien turned around to see the reason why.

Shax and the two remaining Demons of his unit stood motionless only feet away, their swords raised ready to attack. Poised in an attack that easily could have taken Darien's life.

The only thing that had stopped them from following through on their attack was the transparent golden glittering shield between them. The shield ran from floor to ceiling, glittering and glowing like a wall of sunlight encrusted with thousands of golden diamonds.

Darien probed it with his senses and was startled to realise that it was far more powerful than any shield he had ever before cast.

There was no chance of Shax getting through it.

Darien looked down at Serena, stunned. There was no way she should have been powerful enough to summon such a powerful shield. At least not until the night of her of her Ascension, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, when she would be forced to make her Choice.

To his knowledge, the Chosen were only meant to obtain basic powers during the week before the moment of their Choice. Basic abilities such as the heightening senses and maybe a few strange dreams. They weren't meant to be able to use actual power, and certainly not this much of it, before their Ascension!

Turning his attention back to the Chosen, Darien noticed that Serena had begun to sway weakly and her arm had begun to descend as if it had suddenly become very heavy.

Darien realised that the shield was not going to last. Not one this strong from one so inexperienced and power so raw.

Darien had to get Serena out of there. They had, at best, seconds before her strength gave out and the shield fell.

There was only one chance of surviving now. They had to run.

With a mere thought, Darien banished his second blade from his hand but kept his primary blade firmly in his right while he collected Serena in his left. She was weak; he could feel it. It would only be a matter of seconds before she passed out. He could not let her do that. He needed her to remain conscious if she stood a chance of escaping.

Wrapping his arm around her waist and holding her tightly to his side, Darien pulled her towards the windows, relived that the shield remained in place even after he had distracted her. This was going to terrify her, but he would not drop her. Serena was so small and light that a mortal male could have carried her without feeling her weight.

Wasting no time, Darien mentally sent out a small wave of power towards the window, following it an instant later.

The window shattered outwards, the sharp jagged pieces flying vertically through the air for several feet before gravity made its claim.

Reaching the ledge, Darien sprang from it with his sword held in one hand and his precious burden held securely against him in the other. She was weak but she was conscious.

Flying through the cloud of sharp dispersing shards of glass, Darien shielded Serena from the shards with both a mental shield and his own flesh – it stood no chance of penetrating his immortal half-blood skin – while moving so fast through it that the glass seemed to be floating in mid air as he soared through the air with inhuman speed.

Flying freely through the air, gravity holding no claim on him, time seemed to come to a stand still. To Serena their time in the air would seem to last less than a few heartbeats, but Darien had ample time to prepare his landing. He was aware of the city below them, their enemies kept from pursuit by Serena's shield that was only now beginning to weaken and fade, although it would last a few seconds more, he was aware of what lay in front of them.

Flying through the air over a distance no human was capable of, Darien allowed gravity to slowly sway him as he reached the rooftop of the building across the street.

Darien could feel Serena weakly grasp hold of the material of his shirt in her tiny fists as she pressed her body against his in fear. He was regretful that he had been forced to resort to an act that had frightened her, but he had had no choice and would offer no apologies for doing what he had to too keep her safe.

Landing lightly on the roof without as much as a single sound, Darien took off running and leaping across the endless rooftops, leaping over as many as three in a single bound as he moved too fast for mortal eyes to see.

Less than five blocks from his apartment – that had only taken him seconds to cross – Darien sensed Serena's shield finally dissolve and Shax and his remaining two Demons begin their pursuit.

Darien had to get Serena somewhere safe and then deal with them, but where was there left that was safe?

Shax would be able to follow him anywhere if he used a portal and even if he did manage to lose them, it would only take them a matter of minutes to get a Hellhound and they would be back on his trail.

His only choice was to kill them. It was the only way he could get Serena to safety.

Serena had never felt so weak or disorientated in her entire life, and now she could add sick to that list. She had no clue as to how she'd made that shield appear but she knew that it had drained her of her strength. It was only through sheer force of will that she remained awake and her eyes remained open, although the last part was against her better judgement.

She'd known that Darien would get them out of there but what she hadn't expected was that he would do so by going _out through_ the twenty-something story window! Had she had her senses about her and not been so drained and light-headed from the shield, she would have screamed her lungs out.

And now to make matters worse, Darien was running and jumping from building to building so fast that everything was whirling by so fast that Serena can only make out blurry flashes of light and colour. Add that to the fact that she was being jolted around like a doll in a jogger's empty backpack, and she was seconds from emptying her dinner all over Darien's silk shirt.

At least they were going too fast for her to know when they were flying over streets and alleyways. She didn't have a fear of heights but that didn't mean that she liked them either.

All Serena could do was hold on and fight to both stay awake and keep from throwing up all over her protector while he made their escape. At least the icy night air blowing against her was helping to keep her awake and aware.

Exactly five seconds later a partially rough jolt, that seriously threatened to empty her queasy stomach, made Serena rethink her resolve.

Serena brought her hand up and slapped it over her mouth, removing it only to talk. "Ah, Darien?"

"Yes, Serena?" Darien asked evenly, as if they were sitting down at breakfast in his apartment – that hadn't just been destroyed – and talking about the weather.

Hell, the man didn't even sound out of breath!

"If you don't stop soon, your shirt is going to become multicoloured." Serena warned him as she fought against the urge to throw up.

Darien took a moment to glance down at her to find her wide eyed, pale and looking very green with her hand clamped firmly over her mouth.

Turning his gaze back to what lay ahead of them; Darien turned his focus to his mind's eye as he probed behind them. Shax and the unknown Demon were gaining on them while the third had fallen behind slightly.

Darien knew this Demon. He was a lower class Demon who had skill when it came to tracking and battle strategy, which was probably what had caught Shax's interest, but he had less skill in sword and power combat.

He would be easy enough to deal with.

But Shax and the unknown Demon were another element entirely.

Darien knew he would never be able to outrun them with the situation as it was. Sure, he could keep running like this for days, but soon he would reach something that would stop him, most likely an ocean.

It was time to resume to battle, but first Darien would rid himself of the third Demon. Two against one were odds that would be difficult enough for him to deal with while Serena was present, without the third interfering.

Throwing out a shield specifically to block Demonic probing and senses, Darien summoned something into his hand, something he had been saving for decades for when he needed it most.

This was that day.

Leaping so that he landed behind an industrial air-conditioning system that would hide him from view, Darien dropped the vial onto the roof top of what he knew was an office building that was deserted for the night and created a Demon trap on the floor of the room directly below.

A trap that was not effective on him because of the human blood in his veins.

Knowing that Shax – and maybe the other – would most likely smell the contents of the vial, Darien could only hope that the third was still as impulsive as he had been decades ago. It was not often that experienced trained Demons could be so easily trapped, but cockiness and pride were weaknesses that could cost one dearly.

Darien resumed his pace. He was not going to hang around to see if his simple trap worked, but he kept his mind's eye focused on the roof top.

Unlike those chasing him, Darien was half human and an advantage of that was that most Demon poisons and traps were useless – or at least much less effective – against him, such as the trap he had just set.

As Darien had predicted, Shax and the unknown Demon simply avoided the area, choosing to leap over that rooftop all together, no doubt they had seen his trap, but they gave no warning to the remaining member of their unit. This in no way surprised Darien, Demons were greedy self-serving creatures who held no loyalty to their comrades. A Demon was just as likely to be killed by one of his own kind as he was by an Angel.

In his mind's eye, Darien watched as the third Demon leapt right over the industrial air conditioning unit without hesitation and fell straight through the hole that the Hellhound blood from the shattered crystal vial had created.

It had taken a great deal of Darien's Demonic power to create a vial that would hold the acidic substance that was the blood of a Hellhound, but he had managed it. For three decades, he'd had that vial, the blood taken from a wounded Hellhound before he had killed it.

The third Demon fell through the hole to land lightly on the floor of the room below and right into the ring of thick white salt.

Unlike most human legends and myths about Demons, the one thing the human had gotten right was that no being of Hell – save the most powerful or knowledgeable – could cross a circle of salt. It even bound their powers to prevent them from simply summoning a wind to blow the salt away.

Which was why a line of salt across a doorway was useless. It did not bind a Demon's powers and there was nothing that prevented the Demon from summoning a wind to simply blow it away. The same went for standing inside a circle of salt for protection against a Demon. The Demon had to be inside of the circle.

Throwing salt at a Demon would cause him pain and buy a few moments of time, but it wouldn't stop a Demon, only slow him down.

Exactly why all of this was, Darien did not know. There was a legend among the supernatural that Darien had heard long ago that salt was born from the tears of Angels. The legend went that when mankind became corrupt and allowed evil into their hearts, all the Angels of Heaven wept and had created the salty oceans from their tears.

'_And that's two.'_ Darien thought as he came to a stop at the edge of a rooftop six blocks from the Demon's trap. There was no point in running any further. He did not stand a chance of outrunning or trapping Shax.

Releasing his hold on Serena and setting her on her feet, Darien summoned his second blade back to his left hand and stepped in front of her, prepared to fight. To kill or be killed.

It took only moments for Shax and the other to land soundlessly on the rooftop only feet from him.

Shax was beaming with triumph and deadly anticipation. "You needed a woman's help, one who is still mortal no less, to help you escape." Shax laughed loudly with dark, amused delight. "You do not hold much in your pride do you, Endymion?"

Once again, Darien refused to grace him with a reply.

And once again Shax's greedy gaze swept by him to Serena as his demeanour became slightly more business-like. "She is powerful even now, still days from her Choice."

"Maybe this is the one who will rid the likes of you from this earth." Darien goaded, drawing Shax's attention back to him.

The Demon Darien did not know glared at him with enraged fury in his blood red eyes. "So you have decided to take the Chosen for yourself, Prince Endymion?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Darien did not fail to notice how pleased Shax seemed at his blatant betrayal of his kind.

"Maybe it is your wish to overthrow our king and take his place?"

Was it Darien's imagination or was this Demon enraged by this idea?

"She may become powerful-." The passionately enraged red-eyed Demon went on, his voice marred by a Demonic growl. "-but those of Hell will never follow a traitorous coward like you, even if you have her at your command!"

And then it clicked. There were a rare few Demons that while trapped in Hell became so wrapped up in the evil madness there that they became fanatical and in a twisted way, loyal. As Darien understood it, it was a way in which some of Hell managed to survive and climb to power with the hope of getting out of the pit.

This made him far more dangerous than Shax because it meant that this Demon possessed qualities that Shax did not. Unrelenting determination, unwavering relentlessness and, most dangerous of all, loyalty to his master.

"What is your name?" Darien asked his most dangerous opponent.

The Demon stood tall and proud, like a statue of an ancient Greek God. "I am Naberus, proud and loyal solider of King Valac, Lucifer's hand on earth."

Darien was barely able to resist the urge to shake his head in disbelief at the fanatical Demon. It was just his luck that tonight would be the night he came face to face with the fanatic of all Hell's fanatics.

At least it was clear why this Demon Naberus was in Shax's unit. It was obvious that Naberus was using Shax to get close to the Demon King so that Naberus could win his favour and become one of the King's most trusted soldiers.

"Darien, what is he talking about?" Serena nodded pointedly at them and Darien knew that she was talking about their accusations against him.

Darien cursed silently but kept his eyes on Shax and Naberus. The last thing he needed right now was Serena questioning her trust in him and his motives. "He speaks of what he knows nothing of."

"We will kill you and I will take her." Shax proclaimed loudly. "She will side with us or she will die."

Darien smiled tauntingly, his confidence warning them both of the danger of even coming near her. "You will never touch a hair upon her head, Shax."

Shax raised his blade and flipped it over in his hand, just as Darien had done minutes before in his apartment. "Then our time has finally come. I will kill you, just as I should have done centuries ago!"

Serena desperately looked around for help or for something that would help even while knowing that there was nothing that could possibly help them. Around them there was nothing but deserted rooftops and several story drops to the street below; it looked like they were in some kind of industrial district as they were now surrounded by factories and old warehouses, how far had Darien travelled in the space of a few minutes?

Darien was on his own, fighting for his life, against two Demons and there was nothing she could do to help him. And even if there was . . . she felt so weak and drained, it was only the cold of the night – she only wore her nightgown that Darien had given her – and the intimate threat of danger that was keeping her conscious.

Serena wrapped her arms around herself to preserve what warmth she had left and to provide herself with what little comfort she could. The best thing she could do for Darien now, it seemed, was to remain silent and still – not to mention conscious.

Behind him, Darien became aware of soft teeth chattering and the sound of soft flesh rubbing against soft flesh and he silently cursed at himself for his callousness. Although he'd had graver concerns at the time when he had pulled her close and leapt out into the cold night with her wearing only her nightwear, he should have taken a brief moment to clothe her.

With a mere thought, while keeping most of his attention focused on Shax and Naberus, Darien sent his Demonic power swirling around her. He could feel his power bending to his will, and a moment later a soft startled gasp escaped Serena's lips.

At the soft startled sound from her lips, Naberus silently leapt through the space between then, attacking with his sword raised high and murder in his Demonic eyes.

It seemed that this time it had been Naberus who had taken advantage of the moment of distraction.

Darien raised his sword, battle ready and unyielding. It was time he ended this.

One moment Serena had been shivering in her light silk negligee, wishing for something warmer to wear, and the next she'd felt the familiar sense of Darien's power wrap itself around her and the cold night air had left her skin.

Startled, Serena looked down at herself and gasped. She was fully dressed in white running shoes, black pants and a thick heavy black coat that ran to her knees with golden buttons. Beneath the jacket she could feel a warm, long sleeved top that clung to her. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck and on her head she could feel a woollen beanie or something.

Wow. When Darien did something he really did it right. It shouldn't have surprised her. She'd known that after the first day she'd spent with him.

Hang on. Serena carefully mentally scanned herself. Was it just her or was she wearing different – and clean – underclothes?

Serena was in the middle of lifting her collar to check, when the familiar sound of a sword hitting another reached her eyes and she snapped her head up to realise that Darien was no longer standing in front of her. Although Serena couldn't see him, she knew that he was engaged in battle only feet from her. She could see the familiar sight of blurry flashes of colour in the apparently empty space between where she stood and where the Demon Shax stood, his eyes focused intently on the battle.

Shax's expression was uninterested and impatient. Was he really as bored as he looked or was it merely the charade of a cowardly arrogant Demon?

As if sensing her eyes on him, Shax turned his head and looked straight into her eyes.

An evil grin spread over his lips. A grin filled with evil, lustful anticipation and triumph.

Serena forced herself not to flinch at the leering look he was giving her, even though it turned her stomach. She didn't have to be told what kind of fate it was that Darien was fighting so vigorously to protect her from. She could see it in the Demon's eyes.

Feeling far more helpless and fearful than she ever had, even in these last few confusing days, Serena turned her attention to the blurry battle in front of her. Her fate rested with the outcome of this one battle and with the one man she was more afraid for than herself.

Naberus was more than what Darien had expected. After less than a minute of battling him Darien knew that he was well-trained, intelligent, cunning and above all, driven with a fierce determination that almost matched his own.

But Naberus was also young, and although his skills were advanced, he still had less experience and strength than Darien. The older a Demon was the stronger he was. Naberus had to be at least a century younger than Darien and had not long been out of Hell's pit, the stench of Hell hung too densely around him still.

Unfortunately, what Naberus lacked in experience and strength, he made up for with relentless drive and refusal to be defeated.

Darien raised his sword, parried and stepped back, eyeing his opponent for an opening to take his head as they watchfully circled each other. Naberus was a skilled warrior, but as was he. So far the only wounds either of them had been able to inflict upon the other had been superficial.

The worst wound Darien had been able to inflict had been a gash along Naberus's side. It would have been a lot worse had he not been distracted by catching Shax throwing Serena a lustful grin out of the corner of his eye at the time. Naberus had used his moment of distraction to not only jump out of the way of his blade but to also lash out with his own blade. He had been intending to pierce his heart, but Darien had twisted his body sideways, catching a slash across his left arm instead.

Darien once again found himself in a dance of daring at they slowly, step by step, circled each other. Shax had held his ground instead of taking advantage of his current distraction and trying to take Serena. It seemed that Shax wanted to see the outcome of the battle. Maybe Shax was curious as to who would prevail or maybe, like most other Demons, he wanted to watch the kill, regardless of whose death it was.

Demons took great pleasure in the kill, any kill. It fed the Demonic hunger for blood and power somewhat, even if they were not the one killing.

"The Chosen belongs to our king!" Naberus declared almost religiously. "With her he shall retake this world and finally Lucifer will be free from his eternal prison!"

Darien blinked in disbelief at the fool before him. He knew his father well enough to know that Valac loved things just the way they were – him as king of all the Demons on earth. He had no interest in raising Lucifer and becoming something much less than a king. As evil as his father was, as long as he ruled the Demons upon the Earth, Lucifer would never be free.

But it certainly was something that Darien could use against the devoted Demon.

"Lucifer will never be free!" Darien declared, his tone equally as confident. "Even if, by some miracle, you do get the Chosen, the Angels will never allow it!"

Pure rage flashed in Naberus's eyes and Darien saw his opening.

Darien leapt forward, thrusting out his enchanted blade to impale his throat, but he was too slow and Naberus parried and sidestepped the blade that would have taken his head.

Darien was wide open and unable to defend himself and Naberus knew it. With a triumphant sneer, he thrust his sword towards him, aiming for Darien's heart.

Darien grinned with dark triumph. Naberus had fallen right into his trap and now he was going to pay for it with his life.

Dropping his blocked blade, Darien pivoted while at the same time falling to the ground and thrusting out his leg. Landing on his hands, Darien added as much speed and force to his pivot as he could and before Naberus could act to prevent it, his feet were swept out from beneath him.

Snatching up his main blade, Darien bounced to his feet. It was a favoured move that had saved his life more than a few times over the centuries. Armed once again, Darien stood over his arch-rival, and looked down into Naberus's shocked but unafraid face and hard eyes.

Naberus was defeated, but still Darien did not like to kill. Not even Demons. It pleased the darkness within him too much.

"I have no quarrel against you." Darien told him in a serious but straightforward tone. "Take your life and go."

It was an offer Darien rarely made, especially to a Demon. It was one that Shax would not be receiving.

"Such dishonour I would not dare abide." Naberus spat viciously at him. "Save your pity and end my life or I will end yours."

Unlike others of his kind, Darien knew mercy, while knowing the importance honour held to those who harboured it. Naberus had fought well, Darien would give him a death worthy of a devout warrior, regardless of where his devotion laid.

Taking a step back, Darien tensed, battle ready. The mortals had a saying, a tiger was never more deadly than when it was on its last legs – or something to that effect.

Naberus shifted his weight upwards and flung himself forward, the end result landing him solidly on his feet. With a fierce battle cry, Naberus swung his blade, aiming for Darien's head.

But Darien was ready for him, just as Naberus knew he was. Like a proud warrior with honour, he was going to his death knowingly.

Parrying with his left blade, Darien thrusted his right blade outwards, as he stared straight into Naberus's eyes.

In that moment, Darien saw Naberus for what he really was. A half-blood. That was why he knew honour in battle and such devotion to his religious figure.

He had some semblance of human emotion.

Crimson blood gushed from around Darien's enchanted blade that was embedded in Naberus's chest all the way to the hilt.

Staring into Naberus's face, his eyes, Darien remained still as Naberus gasped agonizingly pointlessly for breath.

"I go to my Lord Lucifer." Naberus gargled through his mouthful of blood that was running down his chin.

Darien said nothing. What was there to say? What could you say to one who was glad to go to Hell?

Darien wrenched his blade from Naberus's chest and stepped back as he fell to his knees and erupted into black flames. His sword and his hand were dripping with his crimson blood but Darien's hold on his blade was still steady.

Naberus had been far more Demon than human. Half-bloods did not always leave the mortal world in the flames of Hellfire. Some even lingered to be buried or most commonly disposed of by other Immortal beings, mostly burned to ashes like the mortal cremation.

Darien had had few opponents over the centuries who had known honour and even fewer who had died with it. He felt compelled to show true warriors the respect they deserved despite which of the three races they belonged.

Without warning Darien felt a lightening bolt of hot pain exploded in his chest and he heard Serena scream in horror.

"DARIEN!"

Darien blinked, for a long moment unable to comprehend from where the pain had come or why Serena had screamed so anguishedly. It was not until he looked down that he realised what had caused his pain that had made his body go limp and cold.

From his chest Darien could see the crimson blood stained tip of what he identified as the blade of an enchanted dagger protruding from his chest.

It was not until them that Darien felt a hand descend down upon his left shoulder, while a check touched the back right side of his head.

"I have waited for this day for centuries." Shax hissed victoriously in his ear.

Darien could not move, could not feel. All he could think of was Serena and the fate awaiting her because he had failed to protect her.

Just as he had failed his own mother.

It seemed that that was his curse, to fail the women he was meant to protect.

Looking up Darien saw Serena standing where he had left her on the edge of the building. She was staring at him through wide, horror-filled eyes that were filled with fearful tears.

Darien could feel his strength and his power leaving him with his life force, but all he could think was that she was so beautiful and in so many ways like his mother. She was caring, loving and she trusted him even though she shouldn't. She had strength and an unbreakable will and even though she had a gentle nature, she had a temper that could terrify a Hellhound.

Despite Shax at his back or the dagger in his chest – Shax had stabbed him in the back, now that was Shax's true style – Darien found himself giving her a sad, gentle smile. He was regretful that he had to leave her to in his father's hands but he was grateful to her. If there was anything worth dying for, it was her.

Serena couldn't breathe. Her chest cried out in agony as her heart froze, but her heart ceasing to beat was nothing compared to the pain within her still heart.

One moment Serena had known nothing but relief as Darien had defeated the Demon Naberus, but in the next, relief had become horror and pain.

In less than the blink of an eye, Shax had crossed the distance between him and Darien. Serena had watched helplessly as Shax had pulled a golden dagger with a silver blade from his belt and had thrust it through Darien's chest from behind.

Shax had stabbed Darien in the back. Darien hadn't even had the chance to defend himself.

'_No!'_ Serena's numb mind screamed as she stared into Darien's deep emotion-filled eyes as he stared right back at her. His eyes were filled with soft emotion and stunned detached sadness. _'Not like this!'_

Darien was a solider! He deserved a soldier's death! One of honour and glory! Hell, he didn't deserve to die at all, especially not for her!

'_I'm sorry.'_ Darien didn't say it but Serena could read it in his eyes.

A heart-wrenching sob escaped her open lips. He was dying and he was sorry that he couldn't protect her! Serena couldn't believe this! She couldn't believe this was happening! She couldn't believe that Darien had been defeated but most of all she couldn't believe that he was dying and apologising to her for _dying_!

Serena could see Shax's lips moving as he whispered something into Darien's ear while the eyes of both men rested on her. She couldn't hear what he was saying but she was able to decipher enough from his look to gain a pretty good idea. He was tormenting Darien with what he would do to her now that he had won.

No! It wasn't meant to be this way!

The city around her was shaking violently and Serena felt her feet give out from under her. It wasn't until she fell to her knees that Serena understood. It wasn't the world that was shaking, it was her.

Even when tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision, Serena couldn't look away from Darien's eyes. She had wasted so much time and effort trying to run from him. After all he'd done for her; after all she'd put him through. She had screamed and argued with him, she had continued to run from him instead of trusting him as she should have. He had done nothing but protect her, even from herself, and this was his reward?

"No." The trembling sob escaped her numb quivering lips. "Please."

Serena would have given anything to change this, even traded places with him. He'd fought for her, he'd fought – argued – _with_ her. He'd fed and clothed and protect her and now he was dying for her and he didn't even know her!

As Darien's eyes drifted closed and he went as still as death, Serena screamed like an animal being mercilessly tortured. Her scream filled her ears and the night and in a distant part of her mind a voice wondered why watching someone who was a stranger to her die felt so much like dying herself.

Shax released his hold on Darien and stepped back, allowing Darien's limp, lifeless body to fall to the cold hard surface of the rooftop.

Serena allowed her scream to fade. She felt numb and cold. She felt nothing but the pain in her chest. She didn't understand why the death of a man she'd known only a few days made her feel like this, but she couldn't question the reality of it.

Darien was dead. Because of her. She was alone, defenceless and without him. There was nothing but hollow darkness left in her future now.

Darien was dead. Murdered by someone who wanted to use her in a war that she knew so little of.

Darien was dead. He had died trying to protect her, trying to keep her out of Demonic hands.

Serena closed her eyes as the excruciating pain in her chest morphed into something else, something easier to feel. Cold hard determination to see that Darien's sacrifice had not been made in vain.

They'd done all of this to get to her. She couldn't fight like Darien and whatever power she may have had was gone, but there was one thing she could do. Something she could do to honour Darien and assure that he didn't fail.

Numbly, dejectedly, Serena forced her weak body to her feet just as Shax turned his attention from Darien's body to her.

He took a step towards her and Serena took a step backwards, up onto the very edge of the rooftop.

Shax froze before her tear-filled eyes. Tears ran uncontrollably down her face as she stared into his surprised but still victorious eyes.

This building had to be at least eight stories high. It wasn't that high when one thought about it, but it was high enough. It would do the job and end this.

"You killed him. But you won't have your prize." She promised spitefully and she stepped backwards into this air.

As she fell backwards down through the cold night air, Serena closed her eyes and waited for the peace that death would bring.

She couldn't bring Darien back but she could keep herself out of Demon hands by ending her life.

She would rather be dead than be in Demon hands who would only seek to use her to harm others.

She would rather be dead with Darien than live without him in the hands of devils.


	6. Chapter 5 Dark Royalty

**Chapter 5 ****– Dark Royalty**

* * *

Darien felt warm and weightless as he drifted in the light. He felt as if he were drifting in a pool of glowing water that was just the right temperature. His eyes were closed but all he could see was sparkling, warm golden light. He felt warm and safe and without burden. There was no pain or loss or hatred or anger. There was no darkness within him threatening to corrupt the man his mother had raised him to be, there was only calm and peace.

There were no battles to fight, no enemies to run from.

Darien did not know where he was and he did not care. All he wanted was to stay there forever and ignore that small soundless voice somewhere in the distance that whispered that there was something he had to do. Something important that he had to finish.

Whatever it was, he did not care. He had no worries, no burdens, anymore. He felt free.

"You have to go back."

Huh? Darien reluctantly opened his eyes and looked around but all he could see was shimmering golden light.

That voice. It had sounded so familiar, so caring. He had heard it before, but where? He felt that he should know that voice, but his mind refused to function. His mind only wanted to bask in the peace and the warmth, the serenity.

"You have to go back, my darling. There is still much you must do." The warm, loving and gentle woman's voice whispered softly.

Darien gasped and turned around, how he had no clue, but the moment his eyes came upon the glowing woman dressed in white floating in the light behind him, nothing else mattered.

A woman with flowing black hair and blue eyes that were a reflection of his own.

"She needs you."

Darien felt something powerful explode in his chest and he felt an odd sensation in his eyes. It took him a long moment to realise that what he was feeling were tears.

He had never cried before, he had never known that he could cry.

"Mother?"

Lily Terran smiled at him, the smile a loving mother gave her beloved child. "I am so proud of you, my darling Darien." She slowly walked towards him even though Darien could feel no hard surface anywhere around him. "You were willing to give your life for the one the worlds needs most."

"So I am dead." Darien confirmed rather than asked.

His mother's smiled widened. "No. Not yet. It's not your time, my son. You still have many things to do. Important things." Tenderly, she raised her hand to his face and cupped his cheek in her warm gentle hand. "You are so brave and strong, but you will need all of that now. To live."

"I don't want to go." Darien objected defiantly. He had wished so hard for so long to see his mother again. He was not going to leave. He was not going to go wherever it was that she wanted him to go. All he wanted to do was to stay in this warm peaceful place with his mother. "I do not want to live anymore. It is too hard."

"Such is life, my darling. For Humans, Angels and Demons alike." She dropped her hand from his face and her expression filled with sadness. "But he needs you; an innocent life is in your hands. Without you, without your strength and your love, she will perish in the darkness."

Serena. That was who the voice had been trying to remind him of. He had left her to Shax's mercy, something Shax did not possess.

"I cannot love." Darien argued, centuries of doubt and insecurities coming rushing back to him and he did not want to feel it anymore. He did not want to endure anymore. Had he not endured enough just by being?

"Oh, my sweet, darling boy." His mother sighed heavily with a shake of her head, as if she thought him imprudent for not listening to her. "You need her as much as she needs you. She has strength she will share with you. She has so much to teach you. In her lies your salvation. Not here. You must be strong and go back. You must fight and live to protect her."

"Why me?"

"Because you were chosen, just as she was." She said tenderly with loving wisdom in her blue eyes. "I knew it from the day I first felt you growing inside of me. I knew you were born into this world for something great. Greatness far more grand than what your father saw for you. From the day you were born I felt your strength and your will. Your bravery and intelligence. You will need it all for what lies ahead. This is your destiny."

Darien knew that what his mother was telling him could not be true. He had not been chosen for anything. She was his mother; she had always believed that there were things within him that he knew were not there.

"I'm a Demon."

Her eyes softened, and her expression told him that she did not believe the words for a moment.

"You are who you choose to be. The blood in your veins does not decide who you are." Her eyes softened and filled with glittering love. "I love you, my sweet Darien. And regardless of what you believe, I always have and always will be with you. Just as I promised you long ago."

And Lily Terran stepped back from him, her expression hardening with the fierce spirit and unyielding strength that he remembered. This woman had a will that could convince a diamond that it was not hard. "Now wake up and live!" She commanded authoritatively and then she exploded into blinding light.

Darien gasped as he felt himself falling, leaving the light and the warmth and his mother behind to return to the painful darkness that was his burden.

* * *

Serena didn't know what to expect.

Would she feel it when she hit the street below? Would she feel pain or would it happen so fast that she wouldn't feel a thing? If there really was a Heaven, was she going there or would she be cast to Hell?

From what little Serena knew about Heaven and Hell and right and wrong, suicide was a sin. Sinners were cast to Hell. But maybe because she took her life to save others by keeping herself out of Demon hands she would be shown mercy.

Would Darien be wherever she was going? Wherever Darien was, she hoped he found peace or whatever it was that he was looking for.

A jolting sensation forced a portion of her numb drifting mind to focus on reality; it felt as if everything had suddenly been stopped, even time itself. Everything was still and silent, but it felt _wrong_. She felt heavy and awkward. Uncomfortable. Was it meant to feel this way? There was no pain but she could feel her body.

Opening her eyes, Serena gave a startled and confused gasp.

She could see the starless dark night sky above and the walls of the buildings on either side of the alleyway. She could smell damp garbage and rot, and in the distance she could hear the sounds of the city.

Was this death? Huh, it wasn't any different from the living world.

Serena could even feel pain coming from her protesting spine as if she were being held wrong.

Serena blinked as a sense of dread came over her.

This wasn't right. If she didn't know any better she'd say that somehow she was still alive, but that didn't make any sense. Shouldn't she at least be in pain from falling from several stories onto a hard surface?

_Hang on. '__Held wrong_?'

Turning her head ever so slightly and lowering her gaze from the sky, Serena's eyes widened in horror and she knew without a doubt that she wasn't dead.

Because _he_ wasn't dead. Of that Serena was certain.

Blood red eyes stared back at her. Eyes filled with familiar dark triumph and evil lustful intentions.

She was in the callous iron-hard arms of the Demon Shax. The Demon who'd murdered Darien by stabbing him in the back.

Realisation dawned on her. Like Darien had been able too, Shax could move with inhuman speed and leap incredible distances with incredible ease, had she missed it that they could fly too? So much had happened in such a short time, it wasn't beyond possibility that she'd missed a thing or two.

He'd caught her before she had hit the ground.

So much for going out in flames of glory by sacrificing herself to save the world and in doing so prevent Darien's death from being in vain.

She had failed. She'd failed Darien.

And now she was at the mercy of Shax and his master.

No! A rebellious voice cried from within her, born from the same will she'd used in her attempt to take her own life.

No! She wasn't going to fail Darien. He was dead because he'd died trying to save her and she wasn't going to let his death be for nothing! If she couldn't take her own life then she'd endure whatever was coming but she wouldn't give in! She wouldn't side with the Demons. She would die first. She would take the strength and the courage that Darien had taught her in their short time together and she wouldn't surrender to them.

She wouldn't fail Darien again.

Shax roughly and without warning, dropped her onto her feet, causing pain to shoot through her feet and up her legs at the harsh impact. Serena would've fallen onto her backside – or her face – had Shax not kept a firmly bruising grip on her elbow.

Pulling her roughly forward with his inhuman strength, Serena fell against his chest with a startled and painful cry and before she could do anything to stop him, he grasped hold of her jaw in an unshakable grip.

"At last the rightful glory shall return to us and we will finally rule this planet, as it was meant to be!" Shax titled her head back and Serena gasped in pain at the sharp jerk by such a strong hand. "But first, I think I have earned some fun, don't you?"

Fury exploded within Serena, fury so intense that it was like burning lava in her veins at his dark delight from his victory and also the knowledge that it was Darien's murderer who was touching her.

"Touch me and you'll regret it!" Serena pulled against his hold on her, but he held her firmly in place as if she were nothing more than a weightless doll.

Serena felt him release her elbow, but a moment later she screamed out in agony as pain shot through her as he cruelly gripped a fistful of her hair. She reached up and took hold of his wrist in a desperate effort to lessen the pain, but it made little difference.

He was so strong! And so big!

Glaring cruelly into her eyes with his Demonic evil red glowing eyes, anger overtaking his delight, he growled down at her menacingly. "You will learn your place, girl. Your new master will not take kindly to your insolent tongue. Be warned."

Fury flared within her, his words like jet fuel on the fire that was her temper and she narrowed her eyes defiantly. "When I get my powers, you will be the first to die." She hissed like a furious, cornered kitten that refused to bow down to the starving wolf stalking it. "If it's the only thing I do, if it means going with you, you will die. You are a coward and you're going to burn."

Rage exploded in Shax's eyes, evidence that he did not like being threatened or called out for what he truly was, and he released her, taking a single step back.

Serena didn't even have enough time to draw in a breath before the back of his hand struck the side of her face. Light and agony exploded inside her head as she felt herself flying through the air. A moment later she hit something hard and cold that not only caused her worse pain, but knocked her breath violently from her lungs as well.

Serena landed a moment later on the ground below the wall she'd just been thrown into. She couldn't breathe and her body howled in pain, but she was barely aware of it. Her mind refused to start working again. She was dazed, winded and in pain. All she could do was lay there and struggle to remember how to breathe.

Again, Serena felt a hand cruelly grasp her hair and pull her up until she was looking into evil red eyes once more.

"I am going to make you scream and beg for mercy that I will never give." Shax spat into her face.

Serena smiled weakly with dark satisfaction. She could taste blood in her mouth but she didn't have enough coherency left to trace where it had come from.

"You're dead." Serena wheezed with such conviction that she saw fear flash in his cowardly eyes.

* * *

Darien coughed and then groaned into the cold, hard dirt-covered rooftop. His entire form screamed in agony and protest. He felt weak and tired beyond more than he had ever been.

All he wanted was to go back to the place of light.

But Darien knew he could not. Serena needed him. He needed to live because without him she did not stand a chance.

How was he alive?

Darien doubted that he had the strength to even open his eyes, but regardless he reached for his power. He was weak and it took a great deal of strength to control power, not to mention that a Demon's power – like Angels – was linked to their life force.

His power was weak but there was some there within him.

Sensing his power was one thing, using it was another. His mind felt heavy, clouded. Weak.

Gritting his teeth, Darien mentally forced all of his will – the same will he was using to keep his heart beating – at his power, willing it to obey him. It was like trying to move a lake of honey with a straw. It did not want to bend to his will.

Darien was running out of time. Every moment it took him to get on his feet was a moment that Serena was in Shax's hands. He had to heal himself enough to deal with Shax.

Darien threw more of his will against his power, willing it with everything he had to obey him.

Finally, his power responded to his will, flowing through him with a cool wave of relief. The effort to maintain his hold on it was tremendous. Unless he healed himself quickly, he would loose his grip on it and he would not be capable of calling it to himself again.

Darien commanded it to probe his chest, to tell him the severity of his chest injury. He could feel the dagger still embedded in his chest.

Shax had missed his heart, that was how he still lived, but Shax had still done severe damage with that enchanted dagger. It would take a great deal more power and time to heal than he actually had.

Shax was a dead Demon. He'd had made many mistakes this night. Missing his heart hadn't been his first mistake. His first had been to not call in reinforcements when he'd located him and the Chosen.

Shax's third mistake had been to not check that his opponent was actually dead and his most recent mistake was his greatest; daring to touch what was Darien's to protect.

Idiotic fool. Shax was going to pay for his mistakes with his life.

Shax had been a coward; stabbing him in the back instead of facing him in battle like any true warrior would. Like Naberus had.

Reaching deep, deeper than he had in centuries, Darien threw all of his will and defiance against his power and summoned it all, willing it to pull out the dagger, heal his injury and stop the bleeding.

Wrapping his power tightly around the hilt of the dagger, Darien willed the dagger to be pulled from his flesh. Gritting his teeth and gasping at the Herculean effort it was taking, he threw his power and will into the task.

Slowly, excruciatingly, Darien felt the dagger slide backwards out of the tight hold his flesh held over the blade until it was free of him.

Darien slumped exhaustedly, feeling even more drained and powerless. Taking the dagger out had cost him greatly, but he'd had no choice. He had to heal the injury.

He wanted to close his eyes and rest, his body needed rest, but now Darien had far graver concerns to deal with.

Darien had to stop the bleeding. Being half human it was possible for him to die from blood loss.

The power left behind by the enchanted blade rose up against his healing power in protest. The dark power did not want the injury to be healed but the power's will was nothing compared to Darien's own and he threw everything he had against it.

For a moment the dark power from the enchanted blade rose up in defiance and stood against his own power, as if refusing to be smothered out without a fight, but against his iron will born from his mother, the foreign power stood not a prayer.

Slowly, Darien felt the foreign power smoulder out beneath his power and will like the flame of a candle buried beneath a flooding tide. With a wave of relief, Darien felt his own power get to work on stopping the bleeding and healing the injury.

But as strong as his will was, Darien had nearly died and his power was not as plentiful as it normally was.

Darien was able to stop the bleeding and heal the worst of the injury, but he was unable to heal it completely. He just did not have the strength of will or the power.

With the pain lessening enough that it was bearable, Darien slowly opened his eyes. At first his vision was so blurry that he could not make out anything but dark blurry shadows, but gradually everything came into focus enough for him to make out his surroundings.

He was alone on the roof top.

No Shax. No Serena.

Wanting nothing more than to sleep and rest, Darien forced his body to respond to his commands to get up. Lifting himself up onto his hands and knees, Darien hesitated a moment as the world spun violently around him.

Darien was light-headed, weak, injured and his entire body screamed at him with pain and fatigue to rest, but he could not.

He had to find Serena. He had to save her.

Seeing the dagger, bloody with his blood lying on the ground beside him, Darien weakly reached out and grasped hold of the jewelled hilt.

Darien needed to get to his feet, but his body refused to obey. He did not have the strength or the force of will to get to his feet on his own.

Something silver to his right caught his attention. Darien weakly turned his attention to it. It took him much longer than it should have to recognise his own enchanted blade.

Lowering the dagger in favour of the sword, Darien closed his hand around the hilt and took a moment to gain strength from the familiar weight in his hand.

With this blade he had done some remarkable and good things. It was with this blade that he had fought his father's Demons and fought to protect Serena.

Serena, who was out there alone and helpless with an army of powerful Demons lusting after her.

By sheer force of will – from which he did not know the source – he raised the sword until the point of the blade was pointed into the hard surface of the rooftop, pausing only a moment to slide the dagger into his belt, he forced all of his remaining strength into his arms and legs. Darien barely made it to his feet, only to stumble back a step as his legs threatened to give out beneath him.

Whoa. What was that mortal expression?

What was the licence plate number of the train that had hit him or something similar to that description?

Not even having enough strength to grin at his own ill-timed humour, Darien staggered forward towards the ledge where he had last seen Serena. He hadn't enough power left to use it to find her or Shax, but maybe there would be some clue as to where they went.

Darien could not feel the remanence of a portal, which meant that Shax had not used one on the rooftop. This gave him hope; maybe Serena had been able to make a run for it after all.

Darien reached the ledge in time to see Shax backhand Serena across the face, sending her flying back into the wall of the alleyway hard, before she fell roughly onto the street, where she lay motionless.

Fury unlike any Darien had ever known flared within him, burning his veins and giving him a renewed wave of energy and power. It was not much but it would be enough for what he intended to do to the Demon who had just struck the woman under his protection.

Shax was a dead Demon. He just did not know it yet.

Darien raised his sword and stepped out over the ledge as one would step from one stair to the next.

It was time for Darien to inform Shax of the fact.

Landing soundlessly on the street several stories below, Darien crouched to absorb the impact. Without his power to slow him down, he now relied on his physical abilities. He still had his strength and agility, even as exhausted and injured as he was.

One advantage of being so power depleted was that Shax would be unable to sense him approaching by feeling the approaching power. Shax may still sense or hear him but Darien doubted he would.

Shax was arrogant, dim-witted and lacking in what a true warrior had, such as endurance and survival instincts.

Darien made no attempt to hide or camouflage himself as he silently closed the distance between them, his blade held tightly in hand.

Darien could feel no pain and paid no attention to his body's lack of energy; all that mattered was killing Shax and getting Serena to safety.

"You're dead." Darien heard Serena hiss furiously as she glared with defiant rage into Shax's eyes. He could see her eyes over Shax's shoulder now that he was close enough. There were full of burning fire, fury and defiance.

Darien was so close to Shax that when Shax raised his hand with the obvious intention of striking her once again, Darien leapt into action.

Swinging his enchanted blade in a wide arch, Darien watched as Shax cried out in agony and released Serena before he collapsed onto the ground beside her, clutching desperately at his gushing stub with his remaining hand.

Serena blinked up at him in blank confusion.

One second she'd been staring into Shax's evil eyes defiantly as he'd raised his hand to strike her once again, the next Shax was on the ground beside her, screaming in agony while holding something black and bloody in his hand.

It took Serena a long moment to realise that the black thing Shax held in his bloody hand was his other wrist; only his right hand was no longer attached to it.

"I warned you of the consequences if you touched her." Hissed a seriously pissed off male voice.

Very slowly, Serena raised her gaze to meet the blazing, enraged gaze of the man who had spoken.

Serena had to be dreaming. That was the only thought that came to her mind as she stared at him in wide eyed disbelief. Shax's first blow had knocked her out and now she was dreaming that Darien had come to her rescue.

"Endymion! How?" Shax demanded through his teeth that were clinched in pain.

Darien looked down into Shax's eyes and said in a matter of fact voice, "Because you are half the warrior I am." And Darien raised his sword high.

Realising his intention but having no desire to see anymore violence today, Serena closed her eyes, but that didn't keep the sound from her ears.

Shax screamed for his life but the scream was cut short by a meaty thud that was followed a few seconds later by a vicious crackling sound that Serena now recognised as a Demon's dead body bursting into flame as Hell reclaimed its lent power.

With Shax dead and Serena safe, Darien felt the last of his energy leave him and he fell to his knees, his pain and fatigue returning in full force.

Darien did not need his probing magical senses to know he was dying and that he did not have to power he needed to heal himself. He had used everything he had to kill Shax.

At least now his task was done. Serena was safe. She could run now. She had a chance of surviving, of getting to the Angels who would protect her much better than he had.

Serena opened her eyes in time to see Darien collapse weakly to his knees, his sword held limply in his hand that now rested on the ground beside him.

Pushing aside her pain, Serena slowly crawled over to him and took a seat beside him, taking a moment to absorb that he really was there with her. That he was alive and had just saved her life.

Again.

It was hard to believe that Darien was alive after watching Shax stab him in the back, piercing through the chest.

Had it really happened?

Serena leaned back slightly so she could see his blood soaked back. Yeah, it really had happened.

"Are you hurt?" Darien asked her, his voice dangerously weak and filled with pain.

"No." Serena answered, feeling guilty about lying a little bit. She wasn't that hurt, a few bruises and such, but nothing serious. She knew that he would've wanted to have been told about every bruise so he could heal it, but right now he didn't seem up to the task of healing a paper cut-.

A vibration of icy cold power rippled through the night and Serena's head snapped up, alert. That had felt as if it had come from the direction of Darien's apartment. She knew what that wave of power meant.

Powerful Demons, by the feel of it there were a few of them, and they were getting closer.

Serena gasped. More Demons! They were coming for her and Darien wasn't in the condition to fight off a ten year old girl, let alone more trained and powerful Demons! They had to get out of there, now!

Turning to Darien, Serena studied him and realised in horror that Darien was seconds from passing out. Even sitting down he was swaying dangerously back and forth and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

If he passed out, they were both dead because she wouldn't leave him but she'd also made her decision to never be taken by the Demons alive.

It seemed that this time she had to get Darien to safety.

With her resolve set on saving Darien's life this time, Serena forced herself to rise up onto her knees, take hold of Darien's uninjured arm and throw it over her shoulders. She had to get him on his feet so they could get out of there before they were found by the Demons.

Without even attempting it once, Serena knew she didn't have a prayer of getting Darien on his feet by her own strength. He was way too big and way too heavy. "Darien! You have to get up, more Demons are coming! I can feel it."

Darien weakly raised his head enough to look into her beautiful eyes. Serena was so beautiful and she reminded him so much of his mother. The same fierce will, the same unbreakable strength and the same caring deep eyes that sparkled with life and love.

Unable to help himself, knowing it would be the last time he would ever look upon her beautiful face or into her deep expressive eyes, Darien weakly raised his hand and stroked her flawless cheek that was not already bruising from Shax's blow. He could feel the Demons coming. One of which he knew was the Demon he'd failed to kill and had left bleeding back at his apartment.

"Go. Run. Do not stop. With any favour of fate, Cassiel will find you. I'll hold them off for as long as I can. Go."

Serena was horrified that he'd even ask such a thing of her, especially after she'd watched him die to save her once already! She couldn't let him sacrifice himself for her so defeatedly.

"No." Her tone rang with finality.

"I'm dying, Serena."

Serena gasped and looked down at his chest to see that he was bleeding. He hadn't been bleeding like that a moment ago!

Helplessly, Serena looked up into his eyes, pleading him. He was going to give his life – again – so that she had a chance to run. "Can't you heal it?"

"I'm too weak to heal it."

And he sounded it, but still Serena protested, "But you healed me-."

"You had not been hurt by an enchanted blade. I do not have it in me to heal this." Darien looked up into her eyes and gave her a look that almost looked peacefully content. "I do not have it in me to keep going. I have been living for so long, with nothing to live for. Go. At least this way my life can mean something. In some small way I can atone for the crimes of my past."

Serena was silent for a brief moment, desperately staring into his sorrowful selfless eyes. They were the eyes of a man who held the weight of an eternity of self-loathing and blame on his shoulders and was drowning beneath its endless torment.

His haunted eyes threatened to break her heart in two. Such torment, such suffering, as if his mere existence was something to be sorry for.

Serena had no idea what he thought he had to atone for and right now she didn't care. She couldn't leave him to die, it wasn't who she was. Not even to save her own life. He had given so much for her and here he was so ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for her.

Serena couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't be able to live with herself, not even for the good of the world.

With hardened and fierce resolve, Serena tightened her grip on his arm slung over her shoulder. "No! You saved me, now I'm going to save you." And she lifted and pulled with all her strength.

But no matter how hard Serena tried, it just wasn't enough. After several seconds of trying, Serena collapsed with exhausted defeat, his arm still draped over her shoulders.

Serena had to do something, she couldn't let him die. Maybe if she willingly gave herself to the Demons in exchange for Darien's life, they would heal him and let him go.

"Fine. Then I'll give myself to them to save you." Serena whispered under her breath.

Darien knew that she had not meant for him to hear her but she had forgotten about his Superhuman senses, he had heard her as clearly as if she had shouted it into his ear.

"Hell no!" Darien snapped, weakly but furiously. How could she even say that? His heart – if he did have one – was warmed and flattered at her gesture, but Hell would claim the Mortal World long before he ever let her give herself to his father.

Darien lifted his arm and pushed her – gently – away from him. He would kill himself if that was what it took to get her to leave him there. Anything to stop her. How could she be so foolish and impulsive?

"Go! Leave me or I will end my life myself!"

Serena sat on her hands and knees, staring intensely into his blazing, but weak and pain consumed eyes. He was dying but he still had the force of will within him to yell at her and order her about.

Who was he? Darien had appeared out of thin air into her life and he had done nothing but protect and care for her. How could he be so selfless? Did he really want to die? Was he that honourable that he couldn't take his own life unless it was for a just cause?

"I'm not leaving you." Serena told him with more conviction than she'd ever possessed in her entire life – as short as it had been, especially in the Immortal World.

Darien slumped in defeat, the kind of defeat that consumed a soul and killed it. "I have lived too long in pain and regret. There's something better waiting for me. I'm done."

His words and his sorrowful heavy tone gripped her heart tightly and brought tears to her eyes. If she wasn't careful, she could fall in love with such a man that he was. Selfless, honourable, generous, caring, strong to no end, but there was more to him. She could see it in him now. He had lived a long life that had been filled with pain, loss and regret. He was a tortured soul.

Serena wasn't going to run; she wasn't going to leave him. With her decision made, Serena lifted up his arm, leaned into his side and closed her eyes, accepting her fate. "Then we both die."

"No!"

Serena gasped and opened her eyes. He had sounded so much stronger than he had a moment before. Looking up at him, Serena saw him staring down at her, his eyes open a little wider, she noticed.

"You can not die. I will not let you."

Serena felt him shift his weight and realised that he was trying to get to his feet. Knowing that they had only a few minutes at most to get out of there Serena rose up onto her knees and pulled him up onto his with great effort.

Once Darien was on his knees, it was slow progress to get him to his feet. Once he was on his knees, he was able to extend one leg and then the other, and using her to lean on, he was on his feet, now using her as a crouch.

Serena breathed in relief. Darien was on his feet. They had a chance now, if she could remain strong enough and not buckle under his greater weight as he leaned against her, relying on her to keep him upright as he weakly put one foot in front of the other.

Once on the sidewalk, Serena realised that they had to get out of sight as soon as possible, but first they had to get at least a block or two away.

Looking around, Serena saw that the street was deserted. It was an industrial area with deserted factories and warehouses. There was nothing to help her assist him and no place she could find that would provide them an adequate place to hide.

They weren't even one factory down when Serena heard voices behind them, voice she knew belonged to the Demons on their trail.

"Shax is dead." She could hear a male voice proclaim in a commanding voice that was a hard and as cold as ice. "Look for a portal."

Crap! She had to get Darien away and out of sight before the Demons realised that they hadn't used a portal to leave the area! It was a stroke of luck that the Demons were giving them time to get away by looking for a portal.

Serena hastily ran through her options as she helped Darien across the street to the next factory. Now only one factory lay between them and the Demons hunting them.

Either she kept them walking and prayed that the Demons didn't search the immediate area, which wasn't very likely. These Demons were well trained. They'd search for at least a few blocks. Or she got Darien inside and prayed that the Demons couldn't trace them.

It was their only hope.

Wordlessly, Serena picked up their pace, knowing that Darien was barely clinging to consciousness, until she reached the end of the factory they were walking along side and then she pulled Darien into the alleyway.

They were way too close to the other Demons, but Darien was moments from passing out and Serena knew she wouldn't be able to half carry Darien much further. As determined as she was to save him and as hard as she was trying, it was just too much for her.

Once safely within the shadows of the alleyway, Serena awkwardly sat Darien down on an old wooden crate, took a moment to assure that he was steady enough that he wouldn't collapse onto the ground, before she stepped into the middle of the alley.

Frantically, Serena scanned the alley, looking for a safe place to hide. She needed to tend to Darien's wounds or he'd die. No one lost that much blood and lived, not even Darien.

Movement caught Serena's attention. It was a rat and normally Serena would've cringed and tried to ignore it, but something made her stop and watch the rodent.

It had something in its mouth and it was running along the wall of the adjacent factory. A moment later it disappeared behind a dumpster and a few seconds later, Serena heard a faint meaty thud that had sounded like something dropping a fair distance.

Hopeful, Serena ran to the dumpster. Maybe, just maybe, the rat had shown her a place where they could hide.

Studying the dark green dumpster for a long moment, Serena placed both hands on the side and pushed against it. Luckily, the dumpster seemed to be empty and it was the kind that was on wheels. It took all her strength, but eventually she managed to move it far enough to reveal a hole in the factory wall that went all the way through the decaying wall.

Serena knew that she'd be able to fit through it with little problem, but Darien was much bigger and boarder than she was. For Darien it would be a tight fit but it was their only chance.

Serena had no way of knowing what dwelled within the dark hole, but she didn't have time to stop and think about it. It was an unexplainable miracle that the Demon's hadn't found them considering that they weren't even a full block away. Didn't Demons have superhuman senses and or something?

Hurrying back to Darien, Serena noticed that he was too motionless to still be conscious. Grasping his face in both her hands, she lifted his heavy head and glared into his face. Couldn't he stay conscious for one minute to help her? When was she going to catch a real break here?

"Darien!" Serena hissed lowly, trying to rouse him. "Darien! I need you to help me! I can't do this on my own!"

No response.

Serena quickly placed two fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was there. His heart was beating and he was alive, now she just had to wake him up.

Knowing she had little other choice, Serena released his face, drew back her hand and slapped his across his face as hard as she could.

OW! OUCH! OW! OW! OW!

Serena clasped her hand against her chest and clamped her mouth shut against crying out in pain.

Hitting him had felt like hitting a metal pole!

Realising that she didn't have time to dance around like an idiot, waving her hand like it was on fire and she was trying to draw shapes in the air, Serena turned her attention back to Darien, unable to help giving him a scornful glare.

Serena had known that they guy was solid but this was ridiculous!

Climbing up onto the stack of crates behind Darien, Serena pushed him roughly with all her strength until he fell forward off the crates.

Knowing she may only have seconds left, Serena leapt off the crates and landed silently beside him. She had no choice, she was going to have to do this the hard way. It would be impossible for her to lift of drag his weight; her only choice left was to roll him. She knew that rolling someone with such a severe injury like a concrete pipe was not the best thing for them, but things would be even worse for him if the Demon's found them.

Rolling him – being careful of where she put her hands – as quickly and as quietly as she could to the opening, Serena sent him a silent mental apology before she pushed him through the hole and into the empty darkness below.

Climbing blindly in after him, Serena risked a moment more to pull the dumpster back into position – using all her body weight to do it – before she let go and fell into the darkness after him.

Serena landed heavily on something softer than concrete, unable to catch her balance after landing on her feet, she clamped her mouth shut to keep herself from calling out in startled awkward distress as she fell backwards onto the floor, landing on her backside.

It was pitch black, Serena was unable to see a thing, but the air smelt old and of rot, and tasted of dust and grim. Feeling around, Serena learned two things. Firstly, they had landed on a pile of old folded boxes and second was that Darien was beside her, laying on his back and out cold.

Now that they were hidden and somewhat safe – at least for the time being – Serena turned her full attention to Darien's wound. In the pitch darkness of the warehouse, Serena couldn't see it, but she could do something.

Feeling around until she found Shax's dagger that she had noticed on Darien's belt jest before, Serena used it to cut open his shirt. Knowing that the best she could do for him right now was to bandage the wound, Serena took off her jacket and then her thick top. Sliding her coat back on to protect her from the cold, Serena awkwardly shoved the top beneath him, covering the wound at his back, while she used his shirt – after cutting it from his body – to cover the other end of the wound in his chest.

It was the best she could do until morning. There was nothing she could do until she was sure that the Demons had moved on with their search.

Darien needed medical supplies at the very least, but she couldn't risk it until she was sure it was safe. Well, safe enough.

Wrapping Darien's coat tightly around him, as she wrapped hers tightly around her, Serena snuggled up against him, wrapping his arm around her. She was exhausted; she needed to sleep if she was going to be of any use to Darien come dawn.

Closing her eyes, Serena did the only thing left that she could do.

She prayed that Darien was strong enough to last the night.

* * *

Outside, a silent shadow flew over the roof of the factory, searching the endless shadows.

* * *

On the other side of the city, in a sky scraper disguised as an office building, the two surviving Demons from Shax's unit exchanged fearful looks as they rode the mirrored elevator to the top floors.

From the outside to mortal eyes, the building appeared no different from those office buildings around it. It was the taller of the buildings in the area, being floors taller than those that surrounded it, its solid glass walls reflecting the landscape around it, in effect making it impossible to see inside.

The lower floors of the building were in fact offices of the multi-national multibillion dollar company Brimston Corp International, but the higher floors were anything but. These were floors that which mortal eyes would never see.

If they ever did it was the last thing they ever did see.

The high middle floors were offices, but offices of a different kind. It was from these offices that evil immortal beings of Hell managed Demonic affairs such as the war. It was here that strategies for the war were planned and Demonic officials ruled the Demonic world.

And the higher floors were far more dangerous still. It was on the top floors that the Demon King and his court not only ruled from, but dwelled. The higher floors, for lack of a better description, made up the Demon King's palace. Although the Demon king had several establishments such as this all over the globe, none was grander, or more used than this one.

For, Los Angeles was the city in which the Chosen had been born into and as such this was the city that the Chosen would make her choice.

The second highest floor made up the Demon King's throne room, meeting rooms and other rooms important for the king that were constantly guarded, while the top floor was the King's and his daughter's own personal chambers. There were a few more chambers used for important and high ranking guests, but they were seldom used.

After all, who was more important and high-ranking than the Demon King?

It was forbidden, except for a chosen few, to step foot upon the top floor. The penalty for the unworthy who dared to defy this law was one worse than death.

To be banished back to Hell and thrown in the fiery snake pits from which so few were ever released from. And these were not the snakes like those upon earth; these were monstrous creatures larger than any other in Hell or upon the earth.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a wide long corridor lined with large muscular men all wearing black tailored suits. They stood as still as statues, equally spaced along the corridor on both sides. Only their eyes moved to assess those who dared to step from the elevator.

These were the Dark Guard. The strongest of Demonic Warriors, trained ruthlessly to protect what lay beyond the black and gold doors at the other end of the corridor.

These Demons were lethally skilled and ruthless. They were loyal only to their King and willing to die any torturous death in their duty. Bred for millennia for this sole purpose, they were hollow empty killing machines that even the most powerful of Demons rightfully feared.

They protected their assigned master – said to have been assigned by Lucifer himself long ago – and no other unless commanded so by their master. They had no other purpose than to protect their master and once the Dark Guard deemed one for death, there was no chance of escape. No mercy or hesitation.

Behind the two surviving Demons were two other Demons, two of the three who had brought them here. Only one Demon walked ahead of them all, a Demon that both surviving Demons feared just as greatly as the Dark Guard.

He was Dagon, the right hand of the Demon King and the King's most trusted and skilled warrior. At all times Dagon carried an air of arrogant superiority and intense power around him, proclaiming to all who neared him of just who and what it was that he was. And as if he were not fearsome enough, Dagon was physically massive, even in his human form. Standing over seven feet tall with enough muscle to lift human miliary tanks like paperweights, he was the only Demon under the Demon King's command who could give a member of the Dark Guard a run for their money.

Dagon had been personally sent to find the Chosen. He'd nearly had her only two eves ago, but he had arrived too late. He had felt the deaths of the two demons. All other Immortals in the city had not become curious enough to check it out, but Dagon was more than curious. He was much more intelligent than the hordes of other demons around him. That was why he was the King's second and his most trusted warrior.

By the time Dagon had traced the death echo back to its source, the Chosen had already been taken from her mortal dwelling and whoever had taken her had dispensed with two Demon Handlers and their Hellhounds without leaving a single trace of themselves.

And just this night he had, for the second time, arrived too late. It had been him and his unit of loyal ruthless warriors that had found the two remaining living Demons from Shax's unit. They had healed one while freeing the other from the Demon trap he had been trapped within.

The two surviving Demons knew that the only reason that they still lived, the only reason they had only known Dagon's aid, was because Dagon had a current need of them.

The moment they ceased to be useful, there would be only one fate for them; that was unless the Demon King commanded otherwise.

However the Demon King was not known for his mercy or granting second chances and neither were those who served him.

The two anxious surviving Demons followed Dagon silently down the corridor. The walk was one they had made before but never with a failure hanging over their heads or news so displeasing to deliver to the King.

Dagon's evil potent power swelled in the air around them and the two doors ahead of them swung open to reveal the throne room beyond.

The throne room was as large as a two human gymnasiums combined. Two stories high and vast enough to fit over a thousand able-bodied Demons, it took up almost the entire story. Every surface was black, from the floor to the ceiling where grand black crystal chandeliers hung, casting grey light over the entire room. The two walls that ran parallel to the main doors and the dais opposite were all heavily tinted glass that elegantly displayed the city beneath. During the day with the simple flick of a switch, thanks to mortal technology, heavy metal panels slid into place and kept the rays of the sun from entering.

Hundreds of Demons stood on their side of the carpet that ran to the dais, but not one stood upon it, all whispering amongst themselves but none spoke loud enough to be heard above all the others. All dressed in black or crimson red. Clothing styles ranged from medieval to modern, but all were elegantly dressed for their presence in the Demon King's Court. The few women in the crowd wore long gowns or short leather skirts, but the attire of all females was darkly seductive and revealing.

It was not unusual for many to gather in the throne room of their earthbound Demon King, but the number was far greater this night than normal, as it had been for the past few days. This was the week of the Chosen and the night of the Choice was soon approaching. The entire Demon World was in unrest and a great number had gathered – and still continued to gather – in the City of Lost Angels in anticipation. This accounted for the greater number of Demons gathered in the presence of their king.

The only colour permanently situated in the room was the narrow blood red carpet on the floor that ran straight from the double doors to the dais on the far side of the room. One sole enormous solid gold throne with velvet black cushioning stood in the middle of the three stair high dais. On the highest point of the throne, carved in gold was the emblem of the Demon King of Earth. An image of a Demon claw grasping the Earth that was aflame. Behind the thrown hung heavy crimson drapes. The drapes hung from the ceiling above but were arranged so that half way down they seemed to regally curve around the dais.

Sitting upon the throne was a man with black hair and grey eyes. He neither was the most handsome or the largest man in the room, nor was he the most spectacularly dressed but to Demons and non-Demons alike, there was a sense of awe-inspiring power that swelled around him, power unmatched by any in the room. Power that made him greatly feared and respected by Demons all over the world.

He was the King of all the Demons on Earth.

Around the King stood or knelt exotically beautiful women of all hair colours. Women with model figures and generous busts who wore _very_ little and what they did wear did little to cover anything. Half the women had black or red Demonic eyes, which was the first clue that they were Demonesses, while the other half had human eyes of human shades. Although the colours were clear in their eyes, their eyes were empty and vacant. Souless and hollow as their souls had been taken from their bodies, sucked out of them to feed the Demon King and leaving only brainless slaves behind.

As the party of Demons walked along the long narrow carpet, the room fell into silence, causing the Demon King to look up from the female that had had his fleeting attention.

Dagon approached the King with confidence and superiority rolling off him in waves but he kept his eyes down as he fell to his knee and bowed his head, bowing to his King, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword sheathed at his hips.

The two surviving Demons of Shax's unit and the two Demons from Dagon's unit behind them quickly followed suit, and fell to their knees in reverence to their King.

The Demon King, Valac, turned his full attention to his second in command. A Demon the King did not entirely trust. He would have to be a fool to fully trust any Demon as Demons were traitorous and rapacious. And he was no fool. There was a reason he had been King since the fall of Azazel. "Have you found the Chosen?"

Dagon kept his head bowed, not daring to look up, but he portrayed no fear. "No, my King. There's an unexpected complication."

With a wave of his hand, Valac dismissed the female slave he'd been enjoying the moment before, and straightened in his throne, his displeasure clear on his face. "You disappoint me, Dagon. Perhaps I have had too much faith in you for too long." The threat in his voice – although he had sounded calm and bored – was loud and clear. "Tell me, have I placed too much faith in you?"

Dagon raised his head, his eyes narrowed boldly, as he looked directly into the King's eyes with warrior pride and daring. "Had it been I that had failed you, my life would already be yours." Rising to his feet, he reached behind him and magically shoved the two surviving Demons of Shax's unit forward to stand in front of him before their King. "I was not notified when the Chosen was found. Instead Shax lead his unit in without seeking orders."

Valac did not even spare a glance to the two Demons. They were not yet worthy of his attention. "And where is Shax?"

"Dead."

This was news to Valac. Shax, although arrogant and reckless, was a competent enough warrior. One who had seemed to motivate his son during the days that his son had been with him. It was that use that had made him tolerant of Shax.

"And the Chosen?"

Dagon shoved the two Demons from behind, who were nervously shifting their eyes in fear, warning them that they should answer immediately.

"We found her." The first of the two Demons answered who had recently been healed. Valac could smell the healing power still on him. "But she was protected."

When the news had reached his ears that the Chosen had yet again been born female, Valac had been pleased. Females were easier to control and manipulate. Not to mention that they were much weaker than males. He had seen his chance to finally have another Chosen at his command. It had been so long since he had and that had not been for long as the Angels became ruthless when a Chosen chose against them.

The last Chosen to side with Hell had died only after a few short years, killed by the Angel Ariel. The ruthless bastard was as heartless and as ruthless as any Demon in his court.

Valac was not pleased now to learn that the Chosen was already in protective Angel hands – hands that would only be protective as long as she sided with Heaven. This would make his attempts to get the Chosen even harder. "How many?"

The Demon hesitated, uncertain, but when Dagon closed one warning hand around the Demon's shoulder, he answered promptly. "One."

Raising a surprised eyebrow, Valac straightened in his throne until he sat at his full height. Something was not right here. "What Angel would take on an entire unit and spare two?"

Again the Demon hesitated.

Suspicion rose up within the Demon King. The Demon risked his very life by hesitating. This was news the Demon had no desire to deliver.

"It wasn't an Angel, my king."

Valac very slowly rose to his feet in the silent throne room, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his awesome power swarming around him thunderously. His people around him stood still and silent, none daring to so much as shift their weight as they felt the king's power and fury rise, filling the room with its chilling deadly dread. "What Demon would dare betray his king?"

"The only one who has been allowed to, Father." Answered a soft female voice from his right.

Valac turned and watched a beautiful young Demoness with long flowing black hair, dressed in a gown of black and crimson velvet and silk, step up onto the dais without hesitation.

Understanding her meaning, Valac immediately turned back to the crowd surrounding him. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them, waiting silently as they quickly and silently left the room until only himself, Dagon, the two surviving Demons and the black haired Demoness remained.

The doors closed firmly behind the last of the crowd and Valac turned to his full attention to his only daughter.

Reiizon was the younger of his two children – known to those closest to her as Rei – a daughter he had once dismissed from his attentions until he had learned of her gift of sight. Powerful and rarely wrong, she had at a young age, replaced his former Seer. What more, he did not have to doubt her loyalty to him. She was loyal to him as she was a woman of power as the only Demon Princess who was also the king's Seer. As long as he was King, she would ways be loyal to him. He had also had her with him since she was six years old; he had raised her to be loyal to only him, a mistake he had made with his son whose mother had swayed him away from him.

Rei regally curtsied to her father as she had been taught before she stood tall and proud as the powerful and well respected Demonic Princess she was, looking straight into her father's eyes. "Endymion has had her in his hold for days and his hold on her has strengthened remarkably this night. Just as I forewarned."

When Rei had predicted that Endymion would one day not only hold the Chosen in his hands but also have sway over her, Valac had not believed her, powerful Seer or no. As much as he trusted his daughter's powerful sight, his knowledge of Endymion had been greater. Endymion not only wanted nothing to do with the war, he hated his father.

Valac was no fool. Endymion wished him dead for the murder of his mother.

Too late had Valac discovered the power Endymion's mortal mother had over his son, power that had refused to die with her. He had thought that ridding himself of her would bring his son Endymion to his rightful place as Prince of the Demons on Earth, but it had only cemented Endymion's hatred of him.

Turning his attention back to the present, Valac looked into his daughter's blood red eyes. "Endymion truly has the Chosen? Why? He wants no part in this war, despite my efforts."

Rei raised her chin proudly, the way she did when she knew that her father would not believe what she had to say. "Endymion was enlisted by the Angel Cassiel to protect the Chosen."

Valac's eyes narrowed in dark disbelief. Yes, Endymion hated him and refused to stand with him, his own father, but never had he thought for a moment that Endymion would so disgracefully betray him! "He serves an Angel?"

Valac saw something flash in Rei's eyes but she acted quickly to hide it. "Again, I warned you years ago that Cassiel holds an interest in Endymion."

Valac sighed heavily, knowing his daughter was right, and returned to his throne. Again, he had not believed her. Normally, this would have irritated him that his daughter was so self-assured, but in recent years he had learned the true power of his daughter's sight. Of all his Seer's to come and go over the years, never had he had a Seer so powerful and accurate.

Turning his attention back to the two surviving Demons of Shax's unit, Valac made the decision to turn his irritation towards them.

They he could kill or punish without losing something valuable to him. "Why was this not reported to me immediately?"

Again, the same Demon answered him; the other seemed to have lost his tongue. "Shax ordered us not too. He seemed determined to face Endymion in battle."

Valac sat back against the backrest of his throne, dangerously irritated. If Shax had not died by his son's hand, he would have suffered serious torment. Death had been a mercy compared to what he would have delivered down upon him. "There was a time when their rivalry served me. It drove Endymion." He said more to himself before he turned back to the Demon who was brave enough to speak. "Was Endymion harmed?"

"We know not, my lord." The Demon answered quickly, bowing his head lower. "I was gravely injured and he-." He pointed to his companion. "-was trapped in a Demon's trap."

Dagon stepped forward, standing tall and proud, even in his King's displeased state. "Endymion's blood was found at their trail's end but there was no trace of him. I scanned the entire city for his power and found nothing. The same of the Chosen."

So his son had been injured, but it would have been known if Endymion was dead. There would have been a body left behind. Unlike the Demons who served him, Endymion was half human; when he died his body would not burn. His son had obviously been willing to risk a great deal to protect the Chosen, the question was why and why was he serving the will of an Angel?

Why was an Angel tolerating him? Valac knew without doubt which Angel it was; it was the same Angel who had interfered in his business with his son before.

What did Endymion have to gain from keeping the Chosen from his hands? It was true that Endymion hated him; could that have been his motivation for wanting to keep the Chosen? To use her against him somehow?

None of this made any sense. Endymion had spent so long hiding, so long refusing to have any part in the war or his father's court. What had changed? What had brought his son out of hiding and right into the middle of the war?

"Tell me." Valac ordered the first of the two Demons cowering before him. "What was Endymion's behaviour towards the chosen?"

Once again, as if sensing his time upon the earth was in serious danger of coming to an end, the Demon answered quickly "He was protective, my lord. Exceedingly so."

Interesting. Very interesting. "Protective, how so?"

The Demon swallowed thickly before hastily answering. "Like a husband protecting his own. He didn't even like Shax speaking to her. He turned his back to us to kill Molach, who was, to my knowledge, the only one of us to lay hand upon her."

Valac turned to his daughter for answers. Endymion had not known to be protective of anyone – or even allow himself near any female – since his mother.

Rei had her eyes closed, an expression of deep concentration on her pale, flawless face. Valac knew that look; his daughter was seeing or searching.

When Rei opened her eyes, she evenly met her father's gaze, confidence and knowing in the blood red depths. "The Chosen is too protected for me to see, but I get a sense that there is some form of bond between her and Endymion. It is strong and only continues to grow stronger."

A bond between the Chosen and Endymion. This was intriguing, and may just become useful.

Knowing his need for the two surviving Demons of Shax's unit was done, Valac gave Dagon a meaningful look before he turned his attention back to thoughts of his son.

His look was not missed by the two Demons, who knew its meaning well.

"Wait, wait!" The second Demon cried desperately, finally finding the courage to speak, rising to his feet with eyes wide with fear.

Valac raised his hand, signalling Dagon that he was not in the mood to hear them beg, but the second spoke just as Dagon drew his enchanted blade. A blade that was stained with the blood of many, mortal and Immortal, Demon and Angel alike.

The Demon's frantic words caught the attention of them all.

"The Chosen gave birth to a prophecy!"

Rei was the first to speak, her self-righteous tone making it evident that she did not like the idea of someone other than herself proclaiming a prophecy, especially one she had not seen herself. "What prophecy?"

"The Chosen looked out over the city and said that the city was burning." The Demon closed his eyes and Valac felt him summoning his substandard power.

"By Heaven's light and Hell's fire he will find you." A delicately soft female voice which Valac had never heard before but knew to be the voice of the Chosen, played straight from the Demon's memories. "By his blade and his veiled heart you will be reborn. Heaven's light or Hell's fire. There will be but one obeyed Sire. A battle rages on a disappearing floor. While a distraction lies beyond an open door."

Valac narrowed his eyes in confusion. In all his millennia he had heard several prophecies, but never had he heard one so strange sounding. The first half had sounded fitting of a prophecy but the last two sentences had sounded off. It barely sounded like a prophecy an Immortal would make.

"Reiizon?" Valac turned to his daughter, once again for answers.

Rei seemed to be deep in thought for a long moment. "It reads like nonsense, the kind a mortal would think up, but that first part. There's something there. A significance. I can feel it. By Heaven's light and Hell's fire, he will find you. By his blade and his veiled heart you will be reborn." She repeated to herself. "There will be but one obeyed Sire."

And then something hit her, an image playing before her mind's eye of Endymion battling a Demon on a floor being eaten away by a slain Hellhound in a small shabby apartment. There was something in the apartment that Endymion was protecting, something important.

The Chosen!

Rei opened her eyes, satisfied with her sight once again and turned to her father. "The last bit was not part of any prophecy. The Chosen was referring to a previous time Endymion fought for her. The night she was first found, Endymion slayed two of us, along with their two Hellhounds. It was a communication with Endymion, meant only for his understanding." At last she was able to give her father some answers. When it came to the Chosen, she was mostly blind and deaf.

The Chosen was too well protected by Heaven's Light, at least until her Choice was made.

Rei carefully analyzed each word and every possible meaning before going on. "Being reborn could refer to the night of the Choice, and the obeyed sire could very well mean that she will serve only one."

"Or it could be complete rubbish." Dagon voiced, not hesitant about expressing an opinion against the woman who was the King's Seer and daughter. "The Chosen are not known for being Seers, especially before their Choice."

Valac suppressed a smile. That was one of the reasons why Dagon was his second in command and personal favoured for so long without challenge. The Demon was not only a warrior skilled to match – or even passed – that of Endymion, but he had a matching intelligence and daring to go with it. Not many would speak against a Seer as skilled as his daughter was.

Dagon was a suitable substitute for Endymion as his second in command.

That reminded him, although the two Demons before him had been useful, their usefulness had just run out and they had displeased him, even if they had been following Shax's orders.

Deciding to handle these two himself, and with barely a thought, Valac summoned a swirling black portal beneath their knees and with horrified and agonized screams, the two fell through it. A single instant later, Valac sensed them exit the portal in the middle of Hell's deepest snake pits.

One of the worst punishments for those of Hell. That would be suitable punishment for them for displeasing him.

With the two Demons dealt with, Valac turned his attention to his second, who instantly bowed his head to him.

"Your orders?"

This was a complicated situation now that his son was involved. Valac wanted the Chosen with a burning hunger, but his son's involvement complicated things, especially now he served an Angel and protected the Chosen.

Endymion had been trained by Valac himself and by his best warriors. He was a force to be reckoned with which had been his intention, but he had intended for Endmyion to join him, not turn against him. Still, until he had absolute proof before his eyes that Endymion had betrayed him, he was not going to risk losing the son he had tried for many millennia to get.

"Continue to search for the Chosen, but leave Endymion be." Valac commanded Dagon before he turned to his daughter. "What do you see?"

It was a question he had asked of her many times before.

Rei closed her dark red eyes and concentrated on her unique dark ability, before she answered her father, "Their location is shielded from me by a very powerful Angel, and by her guardians. But I see that Endymion will soon come to you father with his own blood in his hand."

This both surprised and pleased the Demon King greatly, news that his son was coming to him after all this time was news he'd been waiting to hear for centuries, and with blood in his hand could only mean one thing.

Valac could do nothing to stop the smile of evil pleasure that spread over his lips in the form of an evilly triumphant devil's grin. His son was coming to him. With blood in his hand. This was very symbolic in the Demon world.

"Should my son wish to see me," he told Dagon, "let him come unhindered."

Dagon bowed to his King from the waist and spoke with a careful respectful tone, "Yes, my lord."

Knowing that he was dismissed, Dagon stepped backwards three large paces before he turned to exit the throne room.

Dagon waited until he was in the elevator before he allowed his fury and thirst for vengeance to show in his eyes.

So the long lost son was returning. This would complicate his plans, but it changed nothing. He was going to find the Chosen and he was going to bring her to his king and then, finally, he would receive everything that he deserved.

If Endymion got in his way, Dagon would deal with him as he had always dealt with his enemies.

* * *

When Serena opened her eyes, it was daylight.

Serena was not used to luxury, but she had to admit that this was the worst night she could remember. Using old boxes as a mattress on a cold concrete floor with only her coat – and one seriously handsome dark defender – for warmth hadn't provided a good night's sleep. To add to that, even though she had been – and still was – exhausted, she'd been restless, waking every half an hour to assure that Darien was still breathing and that they remained unfound.

Darien hadn't improved at all, in fact he was far too pale and his wound was still bleeding. Her shirt was completely soaked in blood.

What was worse was that no matter what she did or tried, Darien wouldn't wake or even stir. He was as still and as silent as death itself.

He needed help, more than she could possibly give him, but there was no one she could think to turn to. She couldn't take him to the hospital because she knew that there was no way to explain his injuries and there was even the possibility that the Demons were watching the hospitals.

Above all, Serena knew that if they were found, Darien didn't stand a chance.

For over half an hour, Serena sat and tried to come up with a plan.

They were on the run from Demons with supernatural powers and abilities and Darien was out cold from his injuries and was quite possibly dying and there was no one she could go to for help. For a brief moment she had considered her friends, but even though she was certain that she could trust them, she couldn't put them in danger by bringing them into this.

To top it off, Serena had no money, no cell phone and no medical experience outside of aspirin and bandaids. Although, there was one thing she knew how to do that was outside of the everyday medical knowledge that she'd read about. It would really help her now and it was pretty simple. Though she'd never actually tried it, it should be simple enough to do.

By the end of the half an hour, it was clear that she only had one option.

She had to go to her apartment – if there was anything left of it – and hope that her emergency money was still in the old blue teddy bear in her bedroom. With it she would have enough to buy some medical supplies for Darien and maybe some food and water to last a few days.

Briefly, Serena had considered trying to move Darien, but she knew she didn't have a chance of lifting him up through the hole, let alone being able to carry him somewhere else that might be safe.

Serena made sure that Darien was well hidden, even if someone did come into the basement they wouldn't notice him – if Demons came however it would be a useless effort, Demons she knew didn't rely on their eyes. She covered him with her jacket, in effect leaving her upper body dressed only in the under shirt that Darien had conjured beneath the heavy top when he'd dressed her last night. It wasn't ideal for the cold weather but she looked decent enough. She also pulled the beanie as down to her eyes and adjusted her hair to hide her face.

It was the best she could do in the disguise department.

Using some old crates to climb back up through the hole in the wall, Serena made sure to move the dumpster back into place before she started on foot towards the sounds of city traffic.

Despite the earlier hours of the morning, the area was alive with activity. Factories were bustling with busy workers who were earning their pay check. She didn't exactly fit in with the workers, but she didn't stick out like a red rose in a weed garden either.

Finally, Serena made it to the busier streets of down town LA, where she tried her best to blend in with the thick crowds. There were so many people that it was unlikely that she would be noticed.

Serena hated the idea of leaving Darien alone for so long, but she had no choice. She had to get supplies if he had even a chance.

On her walk to her apartment, Serena had made the decision that if he got any worse, she would somehow get him to a hospital and pray that they could help him before they were found. She might even have to leave him there in the hospital and take her chances on her own, hopefully that would make the Demons come after her and leave Darien alone to get the help he desperately needed.

It took Serena four hours of steady walking to reach her neighbourhood and another half an hour to reach her apartment. She didn't have her key on her, but she kept a spare hidden on the roof. No one ever went up there so it was a reasonably safe place.

Not to mention that if anyone found it, they'd have no clue to which apartment it belonged too.

Even though Serena was in a hurry, she wasn't an idiot. Demons and all other kinds of Hell born creatures were after her.

Taking the time to scan the area every couple of seconds the closer Serena got to her apartment building, she was on constant alert to anything that felt or looked suspicious or out of place.

Serena was beginning to trust her newly acquired instincts and senses. After all, she'd felt the other Demons coming in the early hours of the morning after Darien had killed Shax.

And she hadn't been wrong.

Serena could sense Demons when they were close now and she paid particular attention to that sense now, more with each step she took.

Her apartment building came into sight, as Serena knew it would, so she ducked into an alleyway across the street, hiding in the shadows, and meticulously scanned as far as she could see.

This could very easily be a trap. If it was and she walked into it, she wouldn't have a prayer, and neither would Darien.

Kneeling down, Serena lifted the pant leg up her right leg and closed her hand around Shax's dagger that was concealed in her boot. It was the one Shax had stabbed Darien with. She'd tucked it away before she'd left Darien.

Darien's sword was a better weapon against the Demons but not only was it heavy, it would've been impossible to conceal. At least the dagger was small and it killed Demons – or so she assumed.

It was the only weapon she had against anyone – or anything – that came at her.

Several minutes passed in which Serena saw nothing out of the ordinary and she didn't sense any Demons near. She'd wasted so much time already, time Darien was running out of. She had to get what she needed and get back to him.

Even though it felt wrong and stupid to go back into her apartment building where the Demons most likely knew she lived, Serena crossed the street and went inside. All the while on alert for anything, any sign, that she was walking into a trap.

It was almost a relief when Serena made it to the roof without sensing a single Demon in the area.

Acting quickly, Serena retrieved her spare key from beneath the loose brick of the chimney and ran quickly back down into the building.

As Serena neared her apartment door, she silently cursed herself when she realised that she should've used the fire escape. It would've meant less people seeing her, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

What's done was done. All she could do now was pray that her mistake wouldn't result in her ending up in Demon hands.

Serena stared into her apartment door and hesitated. Should she do this? What if there were Demons waiting for her on the other side of the door? As it was, she was faced with the problem of actually _getting_ to her bedroom door as most of her apartment floor had been eaten through.

For all she knew the entire apartment had been eaten away by the acidic Hellhound blood.

Serena closed her eyes and reminded herself that this was for Darien. He'd nearly died – he may still die – saving her. She needed to do what she could to save his life. She at least owed him that much.

Inserting her spare key into the lock, Serena turned the door knob and swung it open, expecting to see her apartment – what was left of it – in complete disarray, the floor missing and black blood staining her walls.

A shocked gasp escaped her lips as she stood frozen in the doorway.

Her apartment looked . . . normal. There was no gaping hole in her floor or the wall. There was no broken furniture or black blood sprayed across the walls. Her apartment looked as it always had; as if no Demonic battle had ever taken place here.

What the Hell . . . ? How was this possible? Had she dreamed it all, after all?

Serena tightened her grip on Shax's dagger, using it as solid evidence that everything that had happened in the last few days had actually happened. She had proof. The dagger. It was real. It had really happened.

And she didn't have time for this! A sharp voice inside her mind snapped at her, reminding herself that Darien's life was at stake.

Not even taking the time to close her apartment door, Serena hastily rushed to her bedroom and pushed open the door.

Again, the room looked just as it always had and on the middle of her bed where she usually left it, was the blue teddy bear she'd been given as a birthday gift two years ago by Mina – she'd said that she'd thought it was cute.

Wasting no time, Serena slid the dagger into her waistband, picked up the bear and ripped open the back seam, relieved to see her small roll of cash still there.

Tucking the cash into her pocket, Serena hesitated. Should she pack a bag? Take a few things with her that she needed?

No. She couldn't waste time. A Demon might come looking at any moment and she needed to get back to Darien. Even though he was unconscious, she felt safe with him.

Safer than in her own apartment.

Serena looked around sadly. She didn't belong here anymore. This wasn't her home anymore. This wasn't her life anymore, she was part of something much bigger now. Something where lives were lost or saved depending on one decision she had to make.

With that thought becoming certain knowledge, Serena left her bedroom and stepped out into her living room, and gasped in horror.

She wasn't as alone as she thought she'd been.

Standing in the doorway were four large men. No, not men. Demons. She couldn't sense them but there was something about them that screamed it.

How wasn't she able to feel them? She'd felt all the others.

"Stupid female." The biggest of them sneered at her. He was staring at her with greedy lust and evil intent. "Even you should have had the sense not to come back here."

Serena didn't have a chance against them, that she knew, but that didn't stop her from pulling Shax's dagger free from her waistband. She wasn't going down without a fight.

Strange. Less than a weak ago, knowing that she was facing four Demons that were stronger and faster and magical would've at the very least made her hesitate, but now, after everything, she didn't.

And just like that, it all snapped into place. It was resolved and cemented in place.

Only hours ago she had watched Darien die for her and had been willing to die rather than be taken by Demons to be used for Hell's purpose. It was startling to realise that that resolve was still with her. That she would rather go down fighting, than fall into Demonic hands.

Could one person really change so much in only a few days?

It was all because of Darien. His willingness to die to protect her, and his strength and determination, had made her realise that her life was important, that other lives were important. There was a war on. She'd been born to be a warrior in this war, even though she hadn't yet gotten the powers she was meant too. She was the one who would decide the course of the war for the next several thousand years.

Just as her mother had done before her.

Like her mother she was going to be strong. She was going to be brave and she was going to protect those who needed protecting.

Never in her life had she felt stronger, more powerful. Serena held the dagger tightly in her hand. It was as a tooth pick was to a crow bar against their swords, but she was done being the defenceless little girl who needed others to fight her battles.

To die for her.

Inside of her, her will and determination felt like a solid living thing, a presence as unmovable and as unbendable as a mountain of solid stone. It made her feel powerful and unbeatable. It gave her more strength and bravery than she'd ever felt before.

For the first time Serena felt like the warrior Darien had claimed that she was going to be, that she was. It'd only been hours ago that she'd somehow – she still didn't know how she'd managed it – formed a sparkling impenetrable shield that had kept Shax and his Demons at bay. It hadn't lasted long but it had been powerful.

Remembering the moment she'd cast it more clearly than ever, Serena remembered the power and the force of her will as she'd not only called the power from somewhere, but she had bent it to do her bidding. She'd wanted to protect Darien, who'd endangered himself while protecting her by turning his back to his enemy, with an uncontrollable necessity.

Serena reached inside of her and tried to call that power to her once again, but this time she felt nothing. No power, no shield appeared. It was as if the power she'd felt only hours ago had never been.

As the four Demons stepped further into the apartment, lining up to face her, Serena thought of her mother.

According to Darien – and she believed him – her mother had been the Chosen before her, had been a warrior in this war for thousands of years. She had fought against the forces of Hell to protect the world. She had fought monsters and forces of evil that Serena couldn't even begin to imagine, but she had done so without failure.

And now it was Serena's turn. She was what her mother had left behind to continue on in her fight. Her mother had died bringing her into the world and she'd done so trusting that her daughter would carry on in her place.

It was her birthright to fight evil, to keep the world safe.

Only seconds had passed since Serena had realised all of this, had in these few moments accepted and had come to understand her birthright.

She had come to understand who and what she'd been born to be.

This was how Serena could connect with her mother, how she could know her. This is what she'd been born to be, this is what she'd been born for. She was the descendant of the only known child to have been born of an Angel and a Demon. The blood of both was in her veins as it had been in her mother's veins.

Darien was willing to give his life to keep her from Demon hands, to protect her. Demons were willing to kill to get their hands on her, and the Angels . . . well, she had no clue about them. All she knew for certain was that they'd be her destroyers if she sided against Heaven.

And just like that, Serena's own fear and doubt, wasn't important anymore. It was still there, inside of her like a block of ice in her stomach, but it held little power over her now.

Of course, facing four armed and powerful Demons that wouldn't kill or seriously harm her wasn't exactly a test of her newly discovered bravery.

'_For my mother.'_ Serena silently whispered to herself as she opened her blazing eyes. Eyes blazing with determination, will and defiance. _'For Darien.'_

"Bring it." Serena's challenge was loud and clear and unwavering.

Serena tensed as the four Demons reacted with surprise and dark anticipation. She was ready to fight a battle she had no chance of wining but was resolved to fight none-the-less.

It is what she had been born to do.


	7. Chapter 6 Dark Saviour

**Chapter 6 – ****Dark Saviour**

* * *

As Serena got into defensive position, various expressions of dark amusement and lustful anticipation consumed the faces of the four Demons; one even had the gall to chuckle.

Serena wasn't surprised at their tolerating amusement. She had no skills in fighting – especially with swords – no experience, little to no power and no one there to help her. She wasn't an idiot. She knew she had next to no chance against them, but that didn't mean that she was going down without a fight.

The expressions the Demons wore changed as they looked past her and Serena froze.

"This doesn't seem fair, now does it?"

Serena blinked, but made no move to turn around. She had realised that there was someone standing behind her well before the female had spoken, she'd seen it in the faces of the four Demons who had turned serious a single second before and had tensed.

What had made her heart drop was that Serena knew that voice. She knew it as well as she knew her own. It was a voice that had made the fear in her heart drop into her stomach before escaping and spilling into her veins.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Serena sent a prayer to the Heavens, _'please no.'_

Opening her eyes to find the Demons no longer staring at her, Serena risked a glance over her should while keeping one eye on the four armed Demons in front of her.

One lesson Darien had taught her well was to never take her eyes from or turn her back to any Demon or enemy.

Less than a few feet behind her stood her three best friends in the entire world. Lita, Mina and small gentle Amy.

NO! What were they doing there? They had no part in this war and now because they were her friends, they were not only going to be drawn into a war they had no place in, they were most likely going to suffer horrible merciless fates.

NO! She wasn't going to let it happen. She was the Chosen! She was born to protect innocence and that's what she was going to do, at any cost! These were her friends, her sisters! If she had to hand herself over to the Demons to keep them safe, then so be it.

Before Serena could utter a word, to tell them to leave her and run for their lives, they briskly moved to stand protectively and proudly in front of her, glaring daringly right into the faces of the four Demons.

"If you want her, you'll have to go through us." Lita said in a hard furious tone as she visibly prepared to fight.

This wasn't the first time Serena had seen her friend's act so protectively of her, nor was it the first time she'd seen Lita prepare to fight – or actually – fight to protect her sister. But that had been against _mortal_ foes, mortal foes against whom she could use her martials art skills.

Against Demons, the girls didn't stand a chance.

Serena opened her mouth the tell them to run, that this was one fight they'd lose and pay dearly for losing, when Amy turned her head and looked her up and down.

For injury.

"Stay back, Serena. We've got this."

Serena's jaw dropped. Amy had sounded so ready and confident, so assured that they could indeed handle this.

Sure, Amy was just as protective of her as any of them, but Amy was a gentle loving and kind girl who was quiet and peaceful. Never had Serena seen such combat certainty and confidence, especially now that she faced Demons nearly four times her size.

It was then that Serena paid notice to what they were wearing.

All white.

That in itself was strange – all four of them loved colours in their clothing, bright colours – but that they were wearing almost the same thing. White leather boots with less than an inch heel, white pants with white cotton tops or white denim jackets.

But what was truly changed was the way they seemed so _different_. Their skin was perfectly toned and smooth and almost seemed to be _glowing_! Hell, their entire forms clothes and all, seemed to glow.

And the energy radiating from them was powerful. It didn't feel like the Demons did, instead of feeling cold and making her skin prickle with wary awareness and a sense of distrust, the _glow_ that radiated from the girls felt warm, inviting and celestial.

It felt _loving_!

Serena's eyes grew impossibly wide as the truth finally dawned on her. They weren't mortal but they weren't Demons either.

_Angel__s._

The word whispered itself with a sense of certainty in her mind and Serena felt the world spinning around her as she struggled to accept the truth of what was right before her eyes.

How could this be? How could Lita, Mina and Amy be _Angels_?

They worked in a diner and had apartments not that much different than her own – all except Amy who lived with her mother – and they dated and ate and went to the bathroom.

Their menstrual cycles had aligned for crying out loud! They suffered through PMS together; between them every twenty-eight days they consumed enough chocolate together to feed a third world nation and made any creep within a three mile radius run for cover!

They were her friends, her sisters. She'd known them most of her life!

How could they be Angels?

Serena wanted more than anything to deny it, to believe that what she was feeling was wrong, but she knew it wasn't. As sure as she knew that the four males in the room were Demons, she knew that the three women standing between them and her really were Angels.

The pain of betrayal on top of everything else that had happened in the past few days was too much for her. She felt her newly discovered strength and will shatter as her entire world came crumbling down around her ears.

'_My mother died giving birth to me, my father and brother were killed in a fire and then __Nana died. All I had left were the girls. How much more can I possibly survive losing?'_

A lifetime of pain and loss came crushing down on her at once and Serena felt light-headed. It was too much.

Serena's knees gave out and she fell to the floor, tears filling her eyes as the pain in her chest made every breath agony.

A voice of rationality screamed at her that this wasn't the time for this, that there were still four Demons in the room, but Serena couldn't bring herself to care.

How could she go from being stronger and more determined than she'd ever been to completely useless in less than a minute?

"Serena!" Suddenly Amy was by her side, looking worriedly up into her eyes as she wrapped her arm around her.

Serena could feel the same warm, divine power that she felt surrounded the three Angels wrap around her, probing her inside and out, most likely searching for injury.

The same way Darien's power did.

Serena looked up into Amy's concerned and caring eyes, ignoring the Angelic power sweeping through her. "You're an Angel."

Amy's face softened and saddened. For a moment Serena dared to believe that she was regretful for deceiving her.

"We are." Amy told her reluctantly. "We were sent years ago to protect you until your time." She affectionately stroked Serena's head, pushing back her golden hair back from her face. "What we didn't expect was to fall in love with you. With your kindness, generosity and loving and wilful heart that is so strong, even after all the pain and loss it has endured."

"I am the Chosen."

"Yes."

"Where were you when they came for me?" Serena didn't know why she asked the question. If they'd been there to protect her days ago when the Demons had first come for her, she never would've met Darien and began to fall in love with him . . .

Serena froze as the truth of the thought hit her. In the few days she'd known him – that she could count in hours – she had begun to fall for him.

Huh. Go figure that in the worst, most distressful time of her life, she somehow managed to fall for a guy that wasn't mortal. Come to think of it, she really didn't know what Darien was. He wasn't mortal, but at the same time he didn't feel like the other Demons, or like an Angel either.

Blinking as Serena came out of her thoughts, she realised that Amy was talking.

"- we were too late. By the time we got here, you were gone. All we could do was clean up the mess to protect the mortals."

Too late for what? For a moment Serena could only blink at her in confusion before she remembered her question.

She'd been so deep in thought that she hadn't been paying attention to Amy's answer.

Man, was she out of it or what?

Serena felt like she was dreaming, the kind of dream where she had no control; just going along for the ride.

"Get her on her feet, Amy." Lita told her commandingly, eyeing the Demons with hard watchful eyes, a sword appearing in her hand with a brief flash of white light. "We don't have time for this."

Mina summoned her own blade, just as battle ready as the brunette Amazon beside her. "The Chosen is coming with us."

Serena's attention turned to the confrontation in front of her as Amy pulled her to her feet with strength Serena didn't expect of her. Amy had lifted her to her feet as if she weighed no more than a two year old.

The Demon who'd insulted her before the girls – Angels – had made an appearance glared furiously into Lita's eyes. He was brave, even for a Demon.

"You're outnumbered, Angel!" The Demon spat at her heatedly. Truly, they were born enemy against born enemy. "Hand her over and I'll kill you quickly. Hell, I might even let you flutter back to that cloud of yours and tell Ariel that this time the Chosen is ours. That our time to rule this world has at last come."

Three against four, and her friends had her to protect. Serena couldn't let this happen. She couldn't watch someone get hurt – or die – for her again. As it was, she still had to somehow save Darien's life.

Serena had to get back to him which meant that she couldn't go with any of them.

Amy seemed to sense that Serena had regained some control of herself and was able to stand without assistance, as Amy pushed her behind her and summoned her own sword.

Ready to join the battle against the Demons to protect her.

The girls were Angels. They'd been sent to protect her. They weren't that powerful, not as powerful as Darien usually was, but they must work for the Angel Ariel that the Demon had referred too. Surely Ariel was a higher, stronger Angel which the girls could call if they needed aid.

Serena opened herself to her senses and focused on those within the room. The girls were fairly even matched when it came to the Demon's power. They could do this or at least they had an even chance of surviving this battle.

Their weakness was that they had her to protect.

And she had to get back to Darien before he was beyond her help.

Serena took a step back and lowered her voice until she couldn't even hear herself, but she knew that if an Angel's hearing was anything like Darien's, Amy would hear her.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I have to go." Another step back, towards the window and the fire escape. "He'll die if I stay."

Serena whirled, took two long strides and dived through the open window that the girls may or may not have used to get into her apartment.

"Serena, no-!" Serena heard Amy cry behind her before the now familiar metallic clinks and clangs of sword combat reached her ears. She hit the fire escape hard but forced herself to ignore the pain of landing on the railed metal landing.

The battle between Angels – her friends – and Demons had begun, but she couldn't stick around to see who won. The girls seemed pretty confident and Serena had never known Lita to lose a fight. They would be fine. They were a unit, friends, sisters, and they wouldn't let one of their own get hurt. They would look after each other.

Jumping to her feet, Serena started her way down as quickly as she could.

Serena hated herself for leaving the girls – especially sweet Amy – to fight four oversized evil Demons, but they were Angels and they would do better without her to protect so close to the battle.

She couldn't let Darien die. He was dying because he'd risked himself to save her life and she wasn't going to let him die for it. On top of it all though, she had to save him because she was falling in love with him.

Serena wasn't sure when or how she'd started falling for him, but she knew with absolute certainty that she was falling. It seemed impossible after only a few days and all they'd been through, but even the thought of Darien dying hurt far more than anything else in her short life of so many losses had.

Serena had loved her father, step-mother and grandmother with all her heart, but somehow the thought of losing Darien hurt more than the loss of her entire family combined.

And now, with the girls now revealed to be Angels, Darien was all she had left to lose. Yeah, she still had her health, her freedom and her life to lose, but they were nothing compared to Darien.

How was she falling for him? She didn't even know for sure what it was that he was. She knew practically nothing about him. She didn't even know with all certainty which side of the war he was on!

And yet she was falling for him regardless.

Serena hit the ground running, not only knowing that she may only have seconds to get away, but also needing to get back to Darien.

He might only have seconds left to live.

Darien was strong and had a will as unyielding as her own. He'd fought for her against impossible odds and he'd endured grave injury and had still continued to fight for her.

As he now fought for his own life. He hadn't abandoned her and she wasn't going to abandon him.

Spotting a taxi coming down the street, Serena skidded to a halt and stepped out onto the street, raising her arm into the air to hail the driver.

Relieved when the cab driver slowed down and pulled to a stop directly in front of her, Serena climbed in and practically yelled her destination at him. She ordered him to take her to the small drug store she'd noticed six or so blocks from where she'd left Darien on her way this morning.

It would have what she needed.

She was no nurse, but she knew how to clean and wrap a wound. Not one as bad as Darien's, but there wasn't anything else she could do.

For a brief moment Serena had considered contacted her friends – the Angels who may still be battling for their lives – and ask them for help.

But the truth was that Serena didn't know if as Angels they would help Darien since it was evident that Darien wasn't Angel or mortal. He wasn't a Demon either, it just didn't fit him.

There was no evil in Darien, there was darkness yes, but not evil.

But then again her three best friends in the entire world had been Angels and she'd never known it. Never even had a clue.

During the cab ride, Serena was careful to keep her head down and her face covered. She didn't need some Demon on the street seeing or detecting her.

It took over forty minutes to reach her destination, but Serena didn't say a word. It was faster than walking had been. She paid the driver, telling him to keep the change of the hundred dollar note.

There was more than enough left for what she needed. She only hoped that she wasn't too late and it wasn't too little to save Darien's life.

* * *

Darien was deadly pale and still, he hadn't so much as groaned when Serena had cleaned and dressed his wounds. His chest wound was far worse than it had appeared.

He'd been stabbed through the chest. What good would a few bandages do?

She had also hooked him up to a make-shift IV made from a plastic kitchen bag, a small thin and clear hose, a syringe needle and sugar water. She had read something about it in one of Amy's medical journals once. It had been used during a war or something when medical supplies had run out.

Serena hadn't been able to pierce his skin, so she had run it into one of his wounds in which she had been able to find a vein. It had taken a long time, but she had managed to get it done.

After which, too exhausted from the day's events to stay awake, Serena wrapped Darien in the blankets she'd brought and then crawled beneath them with him, snuggling close to him and allowed her exhausted body to rest.

Too bad her mind didn't.

* * *

Power and fate was building in the City of Lost Angels, Reiizon could feel it. It filled the air so thickly that she could almost feel it and it all hovered in wait for the Chosen and her brother.

Something big was coming and it was more than the Chosen coming to power and making her choice. There was change on the horizon, great change. The kind of changing event that would change the way things were in all three worlds forever.

There was something special about this Chosen, something that hadn't been present in the others.

Rei stared out over the city through the tinted floor to ceiling window of her personal chamber. Her chamber was that of a Demon Princess; Coloured in black and blood red with the finest of everything. A grand bed – along with all the furnishings - carved from black marble sat against the opposite wall, draped in velvet and silk blood red coverings.

Even though she did not sleep – no full blood Demon did – it was often used.

On the walls stood enormous detailed tapestries and painted canvas portraying dark images of bloody Demonic battles past and of Hell itself. Her favourite hung in the place of honour, taking up a good portion of the wall opposite the doors.

It portrayed an image of twisted forms, in a pit of fire, dragging an Angel – portrayed as they always were, a pale-skinned, naked male with grand spread white wings – being pulled down into the flames of Hell. Clawed taloned hands pulled at the feathers of his wings and sharp pointed monstrous teeth devoured his living flesh.

As always, Rei was dressed as the Demon Princess that she was. A golden crown with blood red, precious gems sat upon her head, and she wore a black gown with crimson trimmings that gave more than a generous view of her cleavage and generously curvy body.

And around her neck, as always, lay her amulet, solid gold it was engraved with her father's seal, portraying to all who she was. The daughter of the mighty Demon king. The image on the seal showed her father, in his Demonic form – his true form – standing upon the heads of conquered Angels, while a massive Demonic hand hung around him like a cape of smoke, symbolising that he was Lucifer's power on earth.

The sun had just set and the Demon world was awakening, so to speak. Demons – all but the filthy half-bloods like her brother – were unable to walk in the light of the sun and so they retreated for the day, giving the mortals their time of safety before night came. Of course Demons could still move around during the day, as long as they avoided direct sunlight, however just being in daylight – even indirect – drained a Demon's power and strength.

There had been a time – she had witnessed so much of it through her visions – when mortals had rightfully feared the darkness of night, but now they had forgotten and had become blind to what truly lurked in the shadows.

But not for much longer would the mortals be able to deny the truth of what lay in the shadows. Soon, very soon the Demon world would rise up and enslave the pathetic mortal race. It was well past the time that the mortals took their rightful place below the mighty Demonic race.

They were all pathetic useless creatures, nothing but cattle, to be fed off and serve their masters.

An evil anticipating grin spread across her painted black lips. It would not be long now, once the mortals were enslaved, they would finally have the power to release Lucifer from his prison. And once Lucifer was free, Heaven itself would fall.

Oh, how Rei dreamed of the day her true master would be free. And he would see the treasure he had in her, unlike her own father, and she would get everything she coveted. Her father would be slain and she would no longer be his serve. Instead, she would be Queen, under only her High Lord Lucifer.

But first the pure hearted Chosen had to die. She would choose Heaven's side. Rei could not tap into the Chosen's fate, but she could sense her disgusting pure goody-two-shoes heart. She was too pure to do anything but the _right_ thing.

With the Chosen dead, the Angels would have to fight instead of hiding behind her, and they would all fall and die.

And then she could finally make her move against her father.

"You're restless tonight." A deep male voice said from directly behind her a moment before thickly muscled arms wrapped around her waist.

Rei said nothing as the massive Demon in human form pulled her back against his solid chest and pulled back her hair to claim her neck with his mouth.

A catlike smile spread across her lips. The fool. She had Dagon wrapped so completely around her finger – it had been so easy, he craved more power and she could give it to him – that he did her bidding without question. It had been so easy to convince him to join her.

A little Demoness seduction and a few promising and seductive words whispered in his ear and he was hers to command, even though they were promises she had no intention of keeping. She was the only Demon princess, she would bare offspring with unthinkable, unmatchable power, she would have a much more worthy Demon than Dagon as her consort.

When he was no longer useful to her, Rei would kill him. As a Demoness, she was gravely underestimated, but she was like the Sirens of Hell. Beautiful and deceptively cunning but beneath the mask she was as lethal and as deadly as a rogue Hellhound. No one knew her secret, not even her father. Her sight was so much stronger than anyone knew, with it she could kill anyone, do anything.

The Chosen was her only blind spot, but what could that little weakling do to interfere with her? No, the Chosen would die, along with her father and anyone loyal to him and she would take her rightful place as the Demon Queen, with no Demon by her side. Anyone who defied her would suffer worse than any punishment her father had ever inflicted. She knew the secrets of both Hell and the Earth and she would use each and every one.

Reiizon would be a Demonic leader such as this world had not known since Lucifer himself.

With evil intentions in her blood red glowing eyes and a seductive smile on her lips, Rei turned around and fiercely took Dagon's lips as she ran her hand down the front of his pants, in greedy lustful wanting.

One thing in Dagon's favour was that he never failed to pleasure her, not that it would help him when the time came.

Her time was fast approaching. Soon they would all be dead. The Chosen. Her father. Dagon. Her brother Endymion.

Soon, she would have everything that was rightfully hers.

* * *

It was dark when Serena woke.

Serena had no way of knowing the time other than it was night time. She could have slept for two hours or twelve. Her body ached with the tell tales signs that she'd had a restless sleep.

Darien was paler. She didn't know how it was possible, but he was. He was as still and as pale as night. This was all her fault. He was dying because of her!

"I'm so sorry, Darien." Serena sobbed helplessly. "I promise, if you keep fighting, if you come back to me that I'll always trust you. I will stay with you as long as you want me and I'll do whatever you want me to do! I'll choose and fight whoever you want me too! Just, please, don't die on me! I need you!"

But Darien remained silent and still.

Damn it! She had to do something! She couldn't just let him die!

But she had no idea how to save him. She could take him to a hospital, but it would be too easy for the Demons to find them! And they would kill him!

Serena had no idea how many Demons there were in LA but they all had to be searching for the both of them.

"Damn it, Darien!" Serena screamed helplessly at his still colourless face in desperate frustration. "Wake up!" Tears filled her eyes and she did nothing to hold them back. "I need you! I can't survive this without you!"

* * *

Darien was swimming in darkness. He was weak and he could not feel anything, not even his own body. He did not know how long he had been here or how time passed here, but he knew he was not meant to be here.

He had to go back or move on.

The problem was that he was too weak to move from where he was, he was not strong enough to go back. He was fighting his hardest to remain where he was. Somehow he knew that if he moved on, there would not be any going back and there was something he had left behind that was important.

Something he could not just leave.

If only he could remember what it was. He knew that he knew the answer, but he was too weak to call the answer to him.

The darkness around him was growing thicker, heavier. His time here was running out before he would be pulled forward, forced to move on. He was fighting as hard as he could to remain where he was, not wanting to give up on that nameless thing he would leave behind.

Alone.

The problem was that it was so tempting to just let it all go and allow the peace of moving on to wash over him. He had not known peace in so long but he had glimpsed it only a short while ago. He did not want to be burdened with so much anymore. He wanted to be free. Free of the darkness and his regrets and failures.

"Damn it, Darien!" A voice echoed through the darkness around him without warning. He could not see the owner of the voice, but he knew it. From somewhere.

"Wake up!"

Serena. He remembered now. He had to protect her. She was important. Important to so many, including him. She was his purpose, his chance to redeem himself.

His chance at . . . something else.

"I need you!"

She did need him.

"I can't survive this without you!"

Darien wanted to smile, but he had no lips, no face to smile with. Serena did not need him to survive. She was so strong and stubborn; she did not need anyone to survive.

Once Serena made her Choice, whichever side she chose, she would have immense power. Combined with her unmovable will and inner strength, there would be no one – or thing – that would be able to stand in her way, at least not for long. She had already proven that. He had witnessed it in her himself from the very first moment they had come face to face.

He could still see her standing in front of him with that baseball bat in her hands giving him that fearless glare despite the fact that he was well over twice her size.

"They've already found me once today, Darien! It won't be long before they find me again!"

Darien was startled from his pleasant thoughts. He forced himself, despite his severely weakened state, to become as alert as he could. To focus on her voice and the words she was saying.

Who had found her? Was she hurt? Was that why she cried? How had she gotten away?

Serena may not have needed him to survive – she had more than enough strength and will to do that on her own – but she did need him to protect her. At least for a few more days. He had to keep her out of Demonic hands. If she ever fell into his father's hands, there would be no hope for her.

It would not take long for the Demon king to bend her to his will one way or the other.

Darien could not let that happen. Serena was so small and soft and beautiful. His father would show her no mercy.

Gathering all his will, Darien prepared to force it upward against the heavy darkness. He needed to go back, he was not ready to go just yet. He still had something to do and someone to protect.

But his end was nearing. Darien could sense it.

* * *

Tears were streaming down her face from her tear-logged eyes.

Serena couldn't sense him anymore even though he was still breathing – barely. He was becoming weaker with every shallow breath and there was nothing Serena could do to help him.

Serena had always been able to sense him, even in the faintest before she had left. Now there was nothing.

He felt . . . mortal. He was dying.

"Please, Darien. Please don't leave me." Serena whispered through her wretched sobs. "I'm dead without you."

Although the words could be taken to mean that without him she would fall into Demonic hands, that wasn't what she'd meant. She was falling in love with him and he was all she had left. If he left her now what would she have to live for?

"No."

The single word had been so faint that it had sounded more like a breath than an actual word.

Hope exploded inside of her and Serena turned her full attention to his face. He was still and pale, but she was sure that she'd heard him.

"Darien?"

His eye twitched.

Serena breathed in relief. He was still weak and dying, but he was still there. That was enough for her – for now.

"Tell me how to save you." Serena begged him, taking a tight hold of his hand with both of her hands.

Silent moments passed until Serena feared that he had fallen back into unconsciousness.

"Five." Darien breathed so softly the word was barely audible.

Huh? Five what? Serena leaned down until her ear was almost pressed to Darien's mouth and she closed her eyes and concentrated wholly on listening.

"Five. . . . five . . . . eight . . . . one . . . . . zero . . . . four."

Serena eyes widened in realisation. It was a phone number! Five, five, five, eight, one, zero, four.

Hope and determination flooded her. This was a way to save him! Darien was telling her to call someone for help!

"Don't . . . . tell. . . who . . . you. . . . . . are."

Serena nodded in understanding, even though he wouldn't see the action. She was too relieved. Darien's message had been clear; don't trust whoever it was that she was calling for help.

She had to get to a phone. Now!

"You hang on, you hear me?" Serena commanded with all the authority she could force into her voice. "Don't you even think of giving up the fight now!"

With one last longing look into Darien's still, pale face, Serena leapt to her feet and ran for the hole in the wall.

It was night. The Demons were undoubtedly on the move. Serena didn't care. She would do whatever she had too to save Darien.

* * *

Being extremely cautious about keeping her face down, Serena ran all the way to the drug store where she remembered seeing a pay phone. Putting more change than was needed into it, Serena eagerly dialled.

There was no ring. Only silence, and then an automated female voice, "This number is no longer in service-."

Serena gasped in horror and pulled it away from her ear to look down at it as if staring at it would suddenly cause it to ring on the other end.

The number didn't work!

Before panic and frustrated disappointment could overtake her, Serena quickly redialled, slower this time to assure she entered the correct number, but she only got the same recording.

Tears flooded her eyes as Serena put the receiver back in its cradle.

Serena had been so certain that this was the answer, that this would somehow save Darien. Never had it entered her mind to question whether it wasn't even in service!

Why would Darien give her a number that didn't work?

No! Determination pierced through the fear. Serena refused to give up! She would just go back to Darien, force him to wake up and get another number. There had to be another way of contacting whoever it was that Darien had told her to call!

Turning her back to the phone, readying herself for the run back to Darien, Serena never expected it to ring.

Serena must've jumped six feet high at the loud shrill sound at her back.

With her stomach in her throat and her heart beating frantically like a humming bird's wing, Serena picked up the receiver and put it back to her ear.

"Speak."

The voice was emotionless, cold and hard. It sounded like someone very dangerous, like someone who even knew the caller was dangerous.

Darien had given her this number which meant that there had to be someone who could help him at the other end!

"I need your help!" Serena hissed urgently, but quietly in the phone. "Someone you know needs you help. He told me to call you! He's badly hurt, I think he's dying."

"What's the name of my friend?"

"Darien." Serena scoured her brain, but Darien had never given her his last name. "I don't know his last name."

"I don't know anyone by the name of Darien. Goodbye."

No! No! He WAS NOT going to hang up on her. "No! Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Sometimes they call him Endymion."

Heavy silence.

"Who's they?"

Serena hesitated. How much did this stranger know about the war and Demons and if so, what side was he on?

Did it matter? A voice inside of her asked her. She had to save Darien and this stranger was their only hope.

"The Demons chasing us."

Whether it had been Darien's other name or the mention of Demons, Serena knew that she had succeeded in capturing the stranger's complete attention.

"Where are you?"

Serena gave him the address on the street sign.

"What city?"

Huh? Serena blinked, confused. If he wasn't in LA, how could he help Darien in time? "LA."

"Stay where you are. I'll be right there." And the line went dead.

Perplexed, Serena hung up the phone and froze as a wave of Demonic power slipped through the night from the shadows to her immediate left.

A Demon. They'd found her. Who had she called? Had she just made a grave mistake that would deliver her into Demon hands? Had the voice on the phone been no friend and betrayed her to the Demons?

The Demon was now behind her. Serena could sense him.

Breathing deeply and trying not to panic, Serena slowly reached for the Demonic dagger hidden beneath her coat.

Maybe if the Demon wasn't expecting a fight, she'd have a chance. Stab him and run.

Closing her eyes, Serena sent a prayer skyward, praying for strength to do this. She'd never stabbed anyone before, but she couldn't let that stop her. Darien and the fate of the world relied on her getting away.

Serena's fingers closed around the dagger and she slowly pulled it out of her coat, being careful to keep it out of sight of the Demon behind her.

He was a single step behind her, standing there silently, as if he were waiting for something.

Serena leapt into action before she could think seriously about what it was that she was doing and the chances she had. Whirling around, Serena thrusted the tip of the dagger towards his stomach.

But the blade stopped inches short of his flesh.

Serena blinked. Something was holding her wrist in a firm grip that was only a little bit too tight.

He had caught hold of her wrist before she'd gotten anywhere near him.

He was a Demon.

Serena looked up into green eyes framed by golden bangs. Eyes that were Demonic in appearance but not by anything else.

They almost held the same look as Darien's did. Sadness, regret and that hint of something that betrayed that they had lived too long. The green eyes almost looked . . . human.

This was him. Serena realised. The man Darien had told her to contact was a Demon, she could feel it. This man was as much as Demon as Shax had been, except for the eyes and the hint of humanity deep within.

"Can you help Darien?" Serena asked softly, hopefully, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "He's dying."

The handsome blonde Demon with clover green eyes pulled the dagger from her hand with his other and released his hold of her. "Who are you?"

Darien had warned her not to tell him that she was the Chosen and it was a warning she was going to heed. He was a Demon, after all, even if he was going to help save Darien's life.

"A friend."

"Darien does not have friends."

Serena's eyes narrowed in fearless defiance. "He does now."

Her manner seemed to surprise him.

"Take me to him."

* * *

Unlike the other Demons Serena had known, this blonde one was a man of few words.

Serena had taken him to Darien as he'd asked – he'd seemed silently irritated and very impatient that they'd run – at her slow mortal pace – to the warehouse.

The Demon hadn't even examined Darien's wounds; he'd merely placed his hand on Darien's chest and closed his eyes.

Demonic power had surged around the warehouse basement, enough to make Serena's instincts scream at her to run. It had only been her heart clinching worry for Darien and her sheer force of will that had kept her from doing so.

When the blonde Demon had finally opened his eyes, he hadn't hesitated before waving his hand at her makeshift IV – making the contraption disappear leaving the liquid floating in midair for a brief moment before gravity seemed to reclaim it and it splashed onto the floor – and had picked Darien up – as easily as one would life a large stuffed teddy bear. Holding Darien steadily in his arms, the Demon summoned what Serena had recognised as a portal.

"Can you save him?" Serena had asked the Demon with her heart in her eyes.

Andrew had then looked at her strangely, studying her with an unreadable expression, before he'd answered her. "I don't know. He's too close to death. You left it too long to call me."

And he had taken Darien through the portal.

Serena hadn't hesitated. She had no way of knowing where the portal would take her, it could've taken her straight to the Demon King for all she'd known, but she hadn't been about to leave Darien again.

The portal had delivered them to a bedroom that had looked a little like Darien's bedroom back at his apartment; only this bedroom had no windows. The bed covered in a golden brown fluffy duvet and fluffy pillows weren't that much smaller than the one back at Darien's apartment. The room was light by two dim lamps imbedded in the headboard, casting long shadows across the room.

The Demon had already set Darien down on the bed and was ripping away the bandages as if they were made of tissue paper. Serena had watched in silence for sever minutes before the Demon had glanced over at her.

He must have seen evidence on her face of how sick and faint she was feeling at seeing Darien's wounds clearly for the first time since she'd bandaged them. He had then sent her from the bedroom, telling her that he had to heal Darien, but he needed her out of the room as it was going to be a long, hard process which he did not want her to witness.

Serena had had no idea what he had meant, but she'd left the room without protest because she hadn't wanted to delay Darien getting the help he needed any more than she already had.

Serena had been surprised to find that she was actually in a high priced apartment – in Chicago. It looked so alike Darien's that it brought about a sense of familiarity to her.

That had been hours ago. Serena had spent the majority of that time staring out the window at the sparkling city she had never been too before.

It had given her time to reflect on everything. On every moment since Darien had rescued her from her apartment, even as far back as her childhood. She'd run over everything calmly in her mind, trying to be rational. From meeting her friends – who'd turned out to be Angels apparently sent to protect her – to wondering if the only reason she survived the fire that had claimed the lives of her family was because of that protection.

Serena also found herself wondering about the future and what it would hold for her. When it came to her Choice, Serena knew that that decision had already been made long ago. She could never side against good. Evil, even though diluted Demon blood ran through her veins, she wasn't capable of such evil. And it seemed that she'd be fighting against evil for the next five thousand years – that was if she lived through the week, let alone the coming millennia.

And Darien. Somehow in a matter of days he'd come to mean more to her than even her only serious boyfriend had. It mattered greatly to her whether he lived or died, whether he was safe or not. It terrified her how much she was willing to risk, to give, for a man – or whatever it he was – she'd known for a number of days she could count on one hand.

Serena had always been one to trust and follow her heart, even after all the pain it had caused her. And she trusted it now when it told her that she was already half in love with Darien.

The only question was now, if Darien lived, what was she going to do about it? What could the future possibly hold for them?

Did Darien even feel anything for her? Yes, he'd fought for her against impossible odds, he'd protected her against even herself and he was willing to die for her, but did that mean he felt something for her or he was just doing what he thought was right?

Was he protecting the Chosen or was he protecting Serena?

Hearing the sound of a door close echo through the silence that only the sound of her breathing had hindered, Serena turned to see the Demon enter his living room.

Serena focused on her senses and realised that the Demon was much weaker than he'd been hours before and he looked it. He was pale and his entire body showed signs of stressful strain and fatigue.

The Demon had worked hard and used a lot of power to save Darien. Now that Serena was paying attention, she could feel a faint spark that she recognised as Darien's power in the other room.

Somehow the feel of Darien's chilling power had become a great comfort to her.

"Darien rests." The Demon told her as he walked up to her but stopped before he came too near. He seemed to be aware that he should keep his distance from her. "He's weak but he'll pull through. He should be completely healed by sunset."

Serena breathed in relief and gave him a relieved thankful smile. "Thank you." And not knowing what else to say, she turned her attention back to the city beyond the tinted glass of the window.

Silence – that wasn't completely uncomfortable – fell between them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw the Demon look her up and down and she opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn't available, but before she could utter a sound, the Demon waved his hand and Serena felt the material surrounding her body change.

Serena realised a silent gasped as she looked down at herself. Her clothes had changed. Instead of a heavy black coat – which beneath there hadn't been anything to cover her but her bra – and black pants and boots, Serena found she was now dressed in white silk pyjamas that covered her decently while still betraying her feminine curves.

Looking up into the Demons eyes, Serena found him wearing a gentle expression and an assuring smile that told her that she was safe.

"I thought it would be more comfortable for you to sleep in." He explained to her in a non-threatening voice.

Serena felt a grateful smile spread across her lips regardless of the fact that a Demon had just used his powers without at least giving her fair warning. "Thank you."

The Demon stepped forward and took place beside her, looking out over the city. "It is said that you are what darkness fears."

Serena froze, like a rabbit caught in a high beam spotlight.

Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw him turn to face her with a slightly offended expression, as if he was mildly insulted that she'd thought that he wouldn't know.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." He assured her as he returned his gaze back to the city that lay beyond the window. "I just wanted you to know that I know. You were weak when I first laid eyes on you, which did fool me for a little, but I can feel it now. The power inside of you, a dormant power yet to take its form."

"I don't understand."

He looked at her then, his half-Demon half-human eyes somehow seemed wise. "The power in you now is just power, it isn't good or evil. That's what makes you so coveted. The power in you is great but hasn't yet been linked to a side. On the night of your Choice – which I happen to know is soon – you will Choose and your power will become linked to either Heaven or Hell."

He fell silent then, maybe to give her time to absorb and think about what he'd just told her.

After minutes of silence, Serena turned to him, curiously. "Why are you helping us? There has to be great many things coming to the Demon who hands me to his king."

His eyes hardened, darkened while at the same time flaring with furious fire. "Valac is not my king, and the Demon World is not mine." He looked straight into her eyes with set conviction in his own. "It would give me great pleasure to see him fall. I want no part in the war or anything Demon."

"Is that why you live like Darien does?"

"I live like this because I don't want to be evil. I'd give anything to be human again."

"Again? You were a human soul turned Demon?"

"Yes. There are many ways to be banished to Hell, one of which is making a Devil's Bargain, as I did long ago. The woman I loved was dying with our child in her womb. I made a deal to save her life. I sold my soul to Hell to see them live." There was long-suffered bitterness and hatred within him. "I went to Hell, but when I broke out I discovered that she and our child had died a year after I had been taken. I found no proof but I know they were killed by the Demon I dealt with. That is why now I do what I can to help Heaven's side. I'm not evil, and neither is Darien. I believe good and evil is a choice. Darien himself is proof of that."

"Darien? How?"

He hesitated, as if trying to determine just how much he should say. Finally, he sighed deeply, exhaustedly, and answered, "That is not my story to tell." He indicated to a door behind her. "There's nothing else to be done. You should sleep. The spare bedroom is behind you. The door locks."

As if a locked door made any difference to a Demon, Serena had witnessed that for herself the night before when Shax had blasted one into kindling with a mere thought.

Serena was exhausted and she wanted nothing more right now than to sleep in the comfortable bed she knew she was bound to find behind that door at her back, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep in that bed.

Instead Serena walked passed him and went to the door of the master bedroom where Darien now slept.

Not dying, slept.

And now she could breathe freely again.

"I'm Andrew, by the way." The Demon called after her.

Serena turned at the doorway and gave him a kind gentle smile. "Serena."

Andrew bowed his head to her respectfully. "Sleep well, Serena."

Giving Andrew one last glimpse of a smile, Serena closed the door behind her and turned her attention to the bed.

Shirtless and beneath the covers, Darien rested peacefully amongst the bed of golden brown silk sheets, with matching duvet and fluffy pillows. He wasn't nearly as pale as he now had some healthy colour in his face.

Never had Serena seen him look so restful, so peaceful.

Climbing onto the bed, Serena found herself staring down into his handsome face, a soft smile on her lips.

This man had risked, had given, so much for her. The least she could do in return was accept who he had told her she was and work with him rather than against him.

When she received this great power, one of the first things Serena was going to do was to find some way to repay him for everything he'd done for her. There had to be something she could do for him with all that power.

Sighing, Serena slipped beneath the covers, gently lifted Darien's arm and snuggled into his hard warm chest that didn't have so much as a red mark upon the warm muscled flesh. The feel of his soft white silk pyjama pants – that by some coincidence matched her own – teased her as she wrapped her leg around his.

Beneath her hand, Darien's heart pounded with a strong steady beat.

Within moments, Serena was asleep with a soft smile on her lips as she clung to the man who'd come to mean so much to her in such a short time.

* * *

Darien woke to the sight of golden blonde hair, the sweet smell of honey and vanilla and the feel of soft warmth wrapped around his right side.

Looking down, Darien was pleasantly surprised to find Serena sleeping peacefully beside him – well, across him was a more accurate description. She was hugging him like a giant teddy bear. Her head lay on his shoulder while her arm draped across his chest and beneath the covers he could feel her leg curled around his.

Serena was plastered to him so snugly that it would've been impossible to pry her away with a crowbar – there just wasn't that much space between them to insert the crowbar.

Darien looked down into her radiant sleeping face and was instantly overcome by how beautiful she was. She was so peaceful in her sleep. She even had a small content smile spread across her naturally cherry red lips. Her long thick golden hair was sprawled almost neatly over his shoulder, arm and the pillows like captured rays of sunlight and she was breathing in such a way that made it sound as if she were softly purring.

Darien had woken up many different ways in his long centuries, but he had to admit that this was the best by far.

Deep inside his chest, Darien felt something warm and vaguely familiar, as if he knew the feeling from long ago. It took him a long minute to realise what it was.

Fondness. Maybe even love. Something he had not known since the last time he had seen his mother alive.

Serena trusted him. She felt safe with him. Safe enough to sleep so deeply, so peacefully, at his side.

If he could ever feel love again, for anyone, it would be for her. She was so pure-hearted, so strong and courageous. She was everything he admired and respected in one fragile tiny package.

On top of it all, she had saved his life.

And that was the moment it all came crashing back to him.

The battle, dying, darkness. Serena's voice begging him to live.

Looking around a bedroom Darien had never seen before, he knew who it belonged too by the strong lingering power signature.

Andras, who now preferred to be known as Andrew.

Darien had not known if he was still able to trust Andrew, but he had been the only one Darien could risk Serena with – while unable to contact Cassiel that was.

Slowly, carefully, Darien pried Serena away from him and edged out of the bed. He was reluctant to leave her, but he had to assure her safety. He had to assure that Andrew remained an alley, not an enemy.

Under normal circumstance, Darien would not have bothered. If Andrew was going to betray him to his father or whoever, Darien would not have stopped him. Andrew had saved his life a few times before.

But he could not take that risk with Serena.

Summing his power, Darien dressed himself. He was completely healed. Andrew had done the task of healing him well. Although his power was not yet fully regenerated, physically Darien felt completely rejuvenated.

Dismissing the power he'd summoned to dress himself, Darien silently left the room – and Serena to sleep – closing the door soundlessly behind him.

It was night outside. Darien did not need to be told that he had slept through the day. He had been on death's door, even for an Immortal that was not something that was quickly recovered from.

Darien closed his eyes and summoned his power. It was harder than usual as there was not much power there, but using what little he had, Darien scanned the area.

Andrew's shields were powerful, reinforced and holding strong. They surrounded not only the apartment but the entire floor, as well as the floor above and the floor below.

They would not be surprised here. The shields were too powerful to get through without them being alerted.

Darien reached out further, clinching his teeth with the effort. As weak as he was, he should not be doing this, but he had to know. He had to keep Serena safe.

He had failed once already, he would not put Serena in any harm's way again.

Scanning the entire building, Darien knew that he and Andrew were the only Immortals in the vicinity.

"She is a rare gift upon this world."

Darien turned to the windows, where Andrew stood, looking out over the city. Darien had known he was there from the moment he had woken.

Darien watched the full blooded Demon in silence for a long moment. Andrew was looking out over the city with a look in his eyes that Darien knew well. He had spent many hours – decades worth of hours – himself staring out over human cities. In that time many thoughts had passed through his mind about the inhabitants of the city. Did any of the mortals see what lurked in the shadows? What was it like to live in ignorant bliss, believing that there was nothing in the darkness to fear? Did the Demons his father had searching for him grow near?

But it was not just questions that went through the mind of an Immortal with that look in his eyes, a look of deep sorrow and regret. Memories of the past haunted the Immortals who allowed themselves to feel. Memories of times long since past that had once been treasured that now only tormented.

Darien stepped away from the door, not wanting to wake the young woman who slumbered behind the door.

"That she is."

"She looks a lot like her mother, don't you think Darien?" Andrew asked, turning to look meaningfully into his eyes.

Darien knew the meaning behind the question. Andrew was informing him of the fact that he knew exactly who and what Serena was. He was not all that surprised. Andrew was his match in intelligence and cunning. Darien had not really expected him not to notice, but apart from Cassiel, Andrew was the only other person he trusted.

"She does, but she has a vast strength that is unmatched by any woman I have ever known."

Andrew studied him through intrigued eyes for a silent moment before amusement spread across his features. "As I recall, your favour turns towards strong women, does it not?"

Darien did not answer. He did not need to; he knew well enough what his friend was hinting at.

He had lived long enough to know what it was that he was feeling. Unlike Mortals, who preferred to mostly ignore or misread their own emotions, Darien knew himself a lot better than that.

It was hard to believe, but after waking up with her in his arms just now he could not deny it. He was developing feelings for the Chosen that went far beyond those of admiration and fondness. What these feelings would develop into, Darien had no idea, but he knew they were growing into emotions that he had not thought he would ever feel again after his mother's murder.

"Ah." Andrew replied in a knowing tone as Darien came to stand beside him, looking out over the city. "That explains why you nearly died for her, but it does not explain why you took responsibility for her in the first place. I thought you were in South America."

"I was." Darien briefly considered if it was wise to tell Andrew everything, but then he remembered all that Andrew had done for him. Andrew hated the Demon world as much as he did and he had just saved his life – again. Not to mention that he already knew who Serena truly was and had had plenty of chances to betray them and he had not. There was nothing more that could come from telling him the rest, since Andrew already knew most of it. "I have been dreaming about her since the day she was born. For nearly two decades I have dreamed of her and her light. As it turns out, it was most likely Cassiel who gave me those dreams."

"Cassiel?" This surprised Andrew. "The Angel Ariel despises because of his love of Mortals and the Mortal World?"

Darien nodded once. Andrew knew about his friendship with Cassiel – although Darien suspected that Andrew did not know just how much he trusted the Angel. Andrew was a Demon who kept his head down but his ears open. If there was something happening in the Demon world, Andrew more often than not knew about it.

There was a Demon rebellion, known as the Ectrovalis – the Demonic word for Rebellion – although it wasn't that involved, it was active. There were even spies and informants in the Demon King's Court. There were Demons – very few – who were more active against the Demon World, Demons who acted to protect the human race and bring down the Demon King. These Demons were not that unlike Andrew and himself, each had had some significant contact with Mortals and had changed their ways, or there were the very few who just hated their own Demon kind and wanted to cause as much damage as possible. These were the Demons who made unsteady truces with Mortals and the Demons who fought to protect them, such as the members of the Ectrovalis.

Of course, each and every Demon of the Ectrovalis had a death contract on his head. Andrew was a member of the Ectrovalis but an unknown member, which made him even more dangerous as he could walk through the Demon world unhindered.

Darien was not a member however. Although he agreed with their cause, he wanted no part in the war, even the minor, but crucial, one Andrew played. He wanted his father dead; he had no vengeance bloodthirsty need to fight against the Demon world as a whole, even though he hated it.

To be a member of the Ectrovalis was to be part of the Demonic World.

Turning his attention back to the conversation and Andrew's last comment about Ariel not liking Cassiel, Darien gave his friend a small grin and replied, "Not to mention Cassiel's friendship with a Demon."

"Yes, he does seem to have an interest in you, doesn't he?" Andrew asked with a meaningful tone, giving him a pointed look, before turning his gaze back to the city before them. "It is strange, even for an Angel like Cassiel, to trust you with the Chosen. Valac's only son."

"Cassiel trusts me and in my hatred for him." Darien said dismissively.

Andrew said nothing and the silence between them stretched on.

Now that Andrew had mentioned it, Cassiel's interest in him was strange. There was something that Cassiel had not told him, something that made Cassiel trust him with the most important warrior of the war.

There was something there that Darien was not seeing, something concerning Cassiel.

"Still," Andrew said breaking the silence, "that doesn't explain why Cassiel chose to trust her with you and why you are protecting her when it means that you are now a big part of the war you've been avoiding for centuries."

"She needed help. Protection. If my father gets his hands on her . . ." Darien did not even want to think about it. "I cannot let that happen. I have to keep her safe."

Andrew glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, studying him for a long moment before a small understanding smile spread across his lips. "You really are falling in love with her."

Darien closed his eyes. He wanted to deny it, he wanted it to not be true, but he could not lie to himself. He did not want to be in love with her because that meant that he now had something to lose, something that could hurt him. He had been so careful for centuries not to let anyone – not Andrew, not Cassiel – get too close to him. He could walk away from either of them without feeling anything, but Serena was something else.

If he continued to fall in love with her, Serena would have the power to destroy him more completely than even his own mother's murder had.

When Darien opened his eyes, it was with frail resolve. "It does not matter. I cannot leave her to her fate until she has Chosen. Once she has, she will be able to take care of herself and I will walk away. Forever. She is the Chosen, and her heart is as pure as Heaven's light. She will choose Heaven's side." Darien turned and looked into his friend's eyes. "A warrior of Heaven can never be with a Demon, even a half-blood like me."

"Where is that written in blood?" Andrew asked him, challenged him. "As I recall, the line of the Chosen began with the union of enemies. An Angel and a Demon. And such Immortal beings they were." His tone all but reverent. "So many, still to this day, view them as traitors, but that is far from what they really were." He looked out over the city with a yearning in his eyes that Darien could understand, to be that strong, to have such a gift.

"They defied everything they knew, all that they had ever been told that they were born and natural enemies, and they did it all for love. Good and evil, dark and light, came together to form one heart, and an even greater miracle, gave life to a child. A child that is both and neither, and is the Earth's most powerful warrior." Andrew nodded his head towards the master bedroom door. "She is all that remains of that love, the only proof that it ever existed at all. Angels and Demons alike view them with disgust and scorn, but there are those that view them as an icon of hope, that the evil can be capable of real good and true love."

Darien remained silent, but thoughtful. He knew well how Andrew felt about the Angel and the Demon who had given life to the first Chosen. Andrew, like him, hoped with fleeting hope that there was a chance for them to be good, to be capable of positive emotion.

As foolish as it was.

Andrew drew in a deep fatigued breath – the kind of fatigue that built up over the long endless centuries – and turned his focus back to the present.

"You only have three days until she will be forced to make her Choice and inherit the powers and responsibilities of her line." Andrew told him seriously, looking him straight in the eye. "You need to make your own choice, and quickly. You are running out of time and I know that you already have more than enough regrets burdening your soul."

Unable to continue this conversation a moment longer, Darien turned and left his friend staring after him with soulful sorrow in his almost Mortal eyes.

* * *

Darien closed the bedroom door silently behind him, needing to be away from Andrew.

It seemed that Andrew really did have a gift for seeing things as they were, and if it was that obvious that he was falling in love with Serena to Andrew after being in his presence for only a matter of hours, then he had no chance of hiding it for too long from others.

Some of which might attempt to use it against them.

Darien turned to the bed, gazing down at the tiny young woman sleeping peacefully. Her golden hair sprawled around her like beams of golden sunlight. She was so beautiful, inside and out.

Darien sighed, conflicted.

After dreaming about Serena for nearly eighteen years, it was now clear why he had been sent those dreams. Cassiel had always intended for Darien to protect her, to take her into his care until she no longer needed protecting.

In a few days, Serena would turn eighteen and she would be forced to choose her side of the war of the next five thousands years and she would have more power than most supernatural beings.

She would not need him anymore.

Darien was not stupid; he knew there was no hope for them, no chance that they could ever be together. She was the Chosen. She was pure and loving and on the verge of being as innocent as a child, while he was the Immortal half-blooded Demon, son of the Demon King.

What did he have to offer her? There was nothing about him that made him worthy of her, let alone there being anything about him that she could love.

He had failed to protect her. Yes, she was here and safe, but he had lost the battle against Shax and she had been left to his mercy. If it had not been for Andrew, he would have died and left her alone and unprotected.

It would have only been a matter of few hours more before they found her.

Darien knew now, he could not protect her. He had to get her into the hands of those who could protect her from his father.

The Angels.

The only thing was, Darien had no idea how to actually contact them. Cassiel had come and gone at his leisure, never telling him how to contact him if Darien needed him.

"Darien?"

Darien blinked, realising that Serena was no longer asleep. He had been so deep in thought that he had not noticed her stir and wake.

The way Serena was staring at him damn near made Darien believe that he had a heart to break.

There was so much joy and relief in her sparkling eyes that Darien did not need mind reading to decipher. She was happy that he was alright.

"You're okay." Serena breathed in sheer relief.

Darien could not help but give her a little cocky smile. "Yes, I'm okay. It will take more than the dark likes of Shax to get rid of me."

Serena could barely believe her eyes. He looked just as healthy and energetic as he had the first time she'd seen him. There was no hint of pain or weakness in his strong, tall and proud stance. He looked just as confident and capable as she knew him to be.

Thank Heavens that he was okay. Serena wouldn't have been able to live with herself if he'd died.

With her relief still making her feel giddy, Serena sat up against the bed and gave him a beaming smile. She hadn't lost him, he was alive and well and here with her.

And speaking of here . . .

"Andrew's a Demon, isn't he?"

All trace of a smile faded from Darien's eyes, and he diverted his eyes from hers, but he didn't look away from her. "He is."

"Then why did he help us?" Serena asked, confused. Her experience of Demons was that they were ruthless, merciless and evil.

So why had one helped them?

The look Darien gave her was one of significance and heart-shattering sadness.

What had she said?

"Things are not always black and white, Serena." Darien told her in a serious voice that sounded so sad and burdened. "There isn't just good and evil. Once there was, in the beginning, but things have changed. Andrew was once a human soul condemned to Hell by a deal he made with a Demon to save the life of his pregnant wife. When he broke out of Hell after a few hundred years, he was a Demon but he wanted nothing to do with Demons or the war."

Demons were capable of choosing not to be evil? That was something new to her, but how else did she explain Andrew?

"Yes, Andrew is a Demon, Serena." Darien repeated, his tone telling her that there was more to come.

Was it her imagination or was there something in his tone? Something a little off that she couldn't place. There was a sense of empathy to his words, almost as if he was talking from personal experience.

"But there is good in him and he isn't the only one." Darien explained, still not looking directly at her. "His kind is rare, but there are others. Demons, Angels and the inbetween alike, who want no part in this war who hide here on Earth. They are considered traitors and exiles. Some do what little they can to help their side, but most want nothing to do with it. I am told that Angels, once exiled from Heaven, can never return. They are exiled here to Earth and are hunted by their own kind." He drew in a deep breath, as if tired of just being. "I have seen Demons do good and Angels to evil."

Finally, Darien chose to look up into her eyes, his words serious and sincere. "There are no absolutes, Serena. Most Demons and Angels will try to tell you that there is either one or the other, good or evil, but they all do have a choice. A choice between good and evil, between obeying the orders of others and following their own path."

Serena didn't understand his empathy. "Is that what you're doing? Following your own path?"

Darien sighed heavily, a noise of one who was greatly burdened. "My father wanted me to be something I do not want to be, but my mother loved me. She taught me to follow my heart. She believed in me and that was stronger than my father's will."

Serena considered his words for a moment, before she looked up into his eyes with hesitant comprehension in her own. Carefully considering her words, she said, "You...you can move like they do. You can do what they can."

Serena hesitated. Should she asked him, put what she was thinking and feeling into words? Did she want to hear his answers?

Darien stared meaningfully into her eyes, an unspoken promise clear in his deep dark eyes. "Ask me whatever you wish, Serena. I promise I will answer truthfully. Whatever you ask."

Serena hesitated still. Did she really want to know? Could she deal with the consequences of the truth she feared she didn't even want to know?

Yes. She had to ask, she had to know what he was. She had entrusted her safety with him, and apparently the safety of the world. She had to know if she was as safe as she believed she was.

"What are you?"

Darien smiled sadly and looked away from her, but not to avoid her gaze. Serena could tell he no longer saw her or the bedroom. His eyes were glassy, dazed, and he was somewhere far away.

"My father is a Demon, my mother was human." Darien told her truthfully, the words feeling heavy on his tongue. He did not know how she was going to react, and he feared that it would be with fear and anger. "In truth, I am more Demon than I am human, regardless of how much my mother tried to give me some humanity."

Serena wanted to be surprised, to be shocked, but she just . . . wasn't. Maybe, on some level she hadn't want to acknowledge, she had known.

There was so much sadness in his eyes that it was startling. But there was something else, a self loathing that Serena knew she'd never be able to understand.

"My father wanted a son. He used so many women but only my mother fell with child. My mother loved me so much, even after she discovered what my father was." There was so much sadness in his voice that Serena wanted to cry. For him. "She raised me as a Mortal, no different from any Mortal boy. She always put me and my happiness before everything else. She took the money from my father to keep me in good surroundings and healthy, even though every cent was a cut into her pride."

Serena couldn't even image what it was like to have to take money from such a creature for the sake of her child.

"All my father wanted was a son, but it's very hard for Demon's to conceive, but my mother was strong. Stronger than even my father believed." Darien chanced a look at Serena, only to find her head bowed and her hands held in her lap.

"As I grew older, my father insisted that I be trained in the Demonic ways. He tried to take me from her but I refused to go. I loved my mother and I believed that staying with her would protect her, but I was wrong."

Darien squeezed his eyes closed. He was not going to witness Serena's reaction to what came next. He feared more than her judgement, he feared her pity.

"My father soon realised that I was my mother's son despite the Demonic blood running through my veins. He saw the hatred in my eyes, the determination to one day overcome him as I trained, becoming a competent warrior. He murdered her while I was training. I somehow sensed that my mother was in danger, but it was too late. I arrived to find her bloody and dying."

Darien refused to react emotionally. Not in front of Serena.

"She told me to be strong, to follow my own heart and that she loved me. And she died in my arms. Her wounds were too great for me to heal in the seconds I had even though I did try. Healing was difficult as I was so young."

Serena couldn't believe her ears. Poor Darien. He'd obviously loved his mother more than anything and she'd been murdered and left for him to find. How could his father do something like that, even if he was a Demon? She'd been the woman to give him a son. Was there no honour amongst Demons?

"My father tried to frame an Angel for her murder. He claimed that they had punished her for giving birth to his Demon son, but I quickly learned the truth." Darien sighed deeply, needing the air in his lungs. "An Angel named Cassiel came to me and told me the truth. I had not been in the presence of an Angel before, and I expected him to smite me, but he did not. In fact, he became a friend."

At this Serena did gasp in shocked astonishment. An Angel had helped and befriended a Demon? That was something they did not teach in Sunday school.

"I knew I was not strong enough to kill my father." Darien went on, choosing to ignore her sound of incredulity. "I would have died trying and I could not let that happen. I knew if I wanted to avenge my mother's death, I would have to wait for my chance. So I went into hiding. For centuries I have remained hidden, always fleeing from my father's seeking Demons."

Up until now everything had made sense to Serena. Looking up into his eyes, Serena gave him a look of confusion. There was something she didn't understand. "If you want no part in this war, then why are you helping me? The one that both sides seem to be willing to kill for?"

Darien drew in a deep breath, mainly to gain some time to think. Should he tell her? Tell her that he had been dreaming about her for her entire life?

No, Darien decided. It would only freak her out, as the Mortals said.

"Cassiel asked me to."

Serena blinked, taken aback. "So because an Angel asked you too, you're risking your life to protect me?"

"I owe Cassiel a lot." Darien said with a dismissive shrug, as if risking his life was something he did on a daily basis. "Besides, I could not leave you to that fate. I have seen how Mortals are treated in the Demon World and it's not something I would wish on any, let alone you."

Serena had the distinct impression that there was something he wasn't telling her, but she decided to leave it for now. He'd already told her enough and it had to be hard for him to talk about his mother's murder.

Demon or no, Darien had risked his life to save hers. He'd been willing to die to keep her out of Demon hands. Whatever his motives, he had earned her trust.

* * *

Later the next day, Darien woke to find Serena sleeping in his arms once again. Although they had been sharing the bed, Darien had half expected her to keep her distance from him after learning the truth about him, at least part of it anyway. It warmed his heart that she felt safe enough to sleep beneath his protection so peacefully, but the way she used his as a large teddy bear may not have been the best for her sake.

Darien had found himself sleeping a lot lately due to his injury and need to regain his strength. He did not need to return to sleep now, but for the first time since he had been a child in his mother's loving arms, he wanted to sleep more than anything.

Not in the mood to defy his desires, Darien closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Darien was aware of a wave of power that was not his nor Andrews or Serena's, but he was already too far gone into the realm of sleep.

* * *

Darien opened his eyes and gasped in stunned surprise and bewilderment. He was not in the master bedroom of Andrew's apartment. No, he was within a ballroom of what had to be a palace, which was made of white marble. The ballroom was filled with well dressed faceless figures, all moving around gracefully, taking amongst themselves with words Darien could not bring himself to comprehend, as if the words were magically rendered unhearable.

Darien looked down at himself to see that he was dressed in dark blue and black attire that was strategically covered with silver armour. A black cape flowed majestically from his shoulders and a long silver sword hung from his belt, but the blade was not his own enchanted blade.

He was dreaming. He had to be. But everything felt so real. He could feel the weight of his armour and the smooth material of his attire against his skin. He could smell soft flowery perfumes, leather and the intoxicating scent of honey and vanilla.

Serena. Darien hastily scanned the crowd around him. He could smell her. She was here somewhere.

There! She stood on the opposite side of the room, alone, carefully scanning the crowd.

Serena was beautiful. She looked like an angelic princess in her floor length white silk gown with golden trimming. The soft delicate fabric hugged her generous bust, the material flowing freely down her body from the hemline beneath her bust. The neckline was low, on the verge of modest indecency, and her arms bare from just below her shoulders. Her long golden hair flowed freely down her back, framing her form like golden liquid sunlight.

Every move she made was with flawless feminine grace, each movement flowed into the next as if she were underwater.

Serena suddenly laughed under her breath, seemingly at her own thoughts, but Darien heard her laughter as clear as day as if she were standing right beside him.

Her laughter floated across the room like the music of the Angels.

As if Serena suddenly just knew he was there – as if she had sensed him – she slowly turned her gaze in his direction.

Their gaze met and she stared straight into his eyes and for a moment Darien saw confusion there as if she too had realised that they were in a place that they had never been before but for some reason she still felt safe. As if they belonged there.

Darien could not do anything to stop himself, even if he had wanted too; he had to go to her. The walk over to her felt surreal, as if he were floating as opposed to walking towards her.

He had no idea how long it took for him to cross the ballroom, but suddenly he was looking down into her bottomless blue eyes and in that moment the truth dawned on him.

This was a dream. He could do whatever he wanted to here and no one would ever know. Here he could be with her, here there were no dangers, here he was not a Demon and she was not the Chosen. Here they were free to be together.

"You look so beautiful. A princess more radiant than there has never been."

Serena smiled, a hint of amusement appearing in her sparkling eyes. "That was so cheesy that this has to be a dream."

Darien suddenly had the impression that he was not talking to dream Serena, but the real one. Were they sharing a dream or was it only his wishful thinking? "That this is a dream does not mean we cannot enjoy it. We can do whatever we want here. It's just us."

Serena gave his a look that told him that she was more than willing to do whatever he wanted. Whatever he wanted to do.

"And what do you want to do?" Her voice was barely a breathless whisper.

Darien could hear her heartbeat pick up and feel the heat radiating from her as her delicate flawless skin flushed with heat and colour.

It was tempting, by the gods it was, to lead her from the room to a place they could be together alone, to address the sexual tension between them, but his mother had raised a gentleman of the old age. He would honour her until his last breath.

Darien held his hand out to her and gave her what he hoped was his most charming smile. "I wish to dance with you."

Disappointment flashed briefly in her eyes before she cloaked it from her gaze, clearly hoping he had not seen. She placed her hand in his as music suddenly began to play around them as if by magic.

Darien pulled her into his arms and took the lead, sweeping her elegantly across the suddenly empty dance floor. There was nothing else in the room but the two of them and the music.

Strangely, it was a song that Darien had never heard before, one from Serena's time. Maybe he was in her dream and she had picked the song.

The words of the song echoed in his mind as they danced, not saying a single word, only entranced by each other's eyes.

**("Into the Night" by Nickelback)**

'_Like a gift from the heavens it was easy to tell_

_It was love from above that could save me from hell_

_She had fire in her soul it was easy to see_

_How the devil himself could be pulled out of me_

_There were drums in the air as she started to dance_

_Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands.'_

Darien lead her around the dance floor. There was no one else there; it was just the two of them, the music and peace.

'_And we sang a, away, away, away_

_And the voices rang like the angels sing_

_And singing a, away, away, away_

_And we danced on into the night.'_

Serena felt so soft and fragile beneath his strong hands. It felt so right holding her, there was nothing wrong in the world as long as he had her there with him. As long as she was his to hold.

_And we danced on into the night_

Everything was perfect; she was perfect.

'_Like a piece to the puzzle that puzzle into place_

_You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces_

_We were spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes_

_No room left to move inbetween you and I_

_And we forgot where we were_

_And we lost track of time_

_And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night._

_And we sang a, away, away, away_

_And the voices rang like the angels sing_

_And singing a, away, away, away_

_And we danced on into the night_

_And we danced on into the night_

_And we danced on into the night.'_

Darien could not look away from her enchanting eyes. Eyes that were so filled with love and happiness that they seemed to sparkle in a way that would make the stars in the sky above envious.

This tiny woman, this special creature, was his salvation, his second chance. His everything.

And here they could be together.

'_Like a gift from the heavens it was easy to tell_

_It was love from above that could save me from hell_

_She had fire in her soul it was easy to see_

_How the devil himself could be pulled out of me_

_There were drums in the air as she started to dance_

_Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands_

_And we sang a, away, away, away_

_And the voices rang like the angels sing_

_And singing a, away, away, away_

_And we danced on into the night_

_A, away, away, away_

_And the voices rang like the angels sing_

_And singing a, away, away, away_

_And we danced on into the night_

_A, away, away, away_

_A, away, away, away_

_Singing a, away, away, away_

_And we danced on into the night.'_

Unable to help himself, it was as if he had been bewitched, Darien brought them to a halt, and he pulled Serena tight against him, needing to be closer to her.

And before Darien even knew what he was doing, he had claimed her lips in a gentle but passionate tender kiss.

'_Oh Serena. __You taste like Heaven.'_

Never had Darien known a taste like her, nor the warm emotions that bursted into life within him.

He was in love with her.

The tragedy was that this was the only place he could have her. In his dreams.

'_And we danced on into the night.'_

* * *

Serena woke, gasping, still able to feel Darien's lips on her own, his arms wrapped around him, his hard strong body pressed up against her own . . .

Serena looked down at his sleeping form as he lay on the bed beside her and began to wonder . . .

She hadn't been able to sleep so peacefully ever since she could remember than how she had in his arms these past few nights. Being with him made her feel safe and protected, while at the same time she felt confident and strong, as if she could face anything as long as he was with her.

It was no wonder that she was having dreams like the one she'd just woken from. Still, it had been nice. Dancing with him, being in his arms, kissing him . . .

And the music, the lyrics, Serena could still hear. She'd never heard the song before, but the words held some significance.

'_Like a gift from the __Heavens it was easy to tell_

_It was love from above that could save me from Hell.'_

Could she save him from Hell, from his past? According to Darien, in a few days she would inherit a great amount of power. Would she be powerful enough to save Darien from the Demons which hunted him?

She would try. She owned him that much.

With her decision made, Serena laid down her head on his shoulder and snuggled once again into his side. In his arms, even in the middle of everything that they were, it was only a matter of minutes before she returned to sleep.

* * *

All night, since waking just after sunset, Darien had been plagued by dangerous thoughts. Thoughts that threatened to give him hope, hope that could ultimately destroy him.

Ever since he'd woken, the song from the dream had been playing over and over in his head.

Had the dream just been a dream? Or had it been something more, a message to him maybe?

As much as Darien wanted to dismiss the dream as only a dream, that it meant nothing, he could not help but to dare to consider that maybe they were more than that.

'_Like a gift from the __Heavens it was easy to tell_

_It was love from above that could save me from Hell.'_

Was it possible? Possible that Serena may somehow come to love him? That she could somehow save him from Hell?

But how could it be possible? Yes, she would inherit great power in a matter of days and yes, that power may just be strong enough to take down him father, but was even the power of the Chosen, of Heaven and Hell combined, enough to save him from what he was?

Such thoughts and hope could so easily bring about his end.

Darien sighed heavily, wishing for the peaceful days he'd spent hiding from his father – and in truth, the world. They had been simpler times; there had been nothing but his desire for revenge to drive him. To keep him sane against the weight of eternity.

A faint wave of power snapped Darien from his thoughts. He looked up from where he sat on Andrew's couch as the enormous plasma screen television came to life.

Darien looked over his shoulder at Andrew, standing behind the couch, who's eyes were fixed to the television with a serious hard expression on his face.

Knowing something more was up than Andrew just having a sudden urge to watch television, Darien turned his attention to the television to see a female news reporter wearing too much make-up.

In the top right hand corner, footage of a building in flashes ran. The flames had completely engulfed the building, spilling out of the windows and doors, dancing towards the sky. Thick black smoke flowed from the tips of the flames.

There was no hope of saving the building.

"- emergency services are desperately trying to save surrounding businesses as efforts to control the blaze continue. Hope has been lost for those inside at the time of the blast, officials have released a statement stating that there is no hope for any survivors inside as the entire diner has been completely engulfed by flames."

Darien blinked in confusion. What interest did Andrew have an explosion at a Mortal diner? Did he suspect Demon involvement, even though burning down buildings was not something Demons often did?

"It's believed that no one made it out after the explosion." The news reporter went on grimly. "Witnesses place over twenty people inside just before the explosion, including the owner and head cook of the Blue Moon Diner, Richard Hampton-."

"Andrew, what's going on?" Darien asked him, needing to know Andrew's interest in this news story.

"Look at the flames." Andrew told him, still steadily focused on the television as the footage consumed the entire screen. "They aren't natural. They're too powerful. If I had to guess, I'd say that they were being fuelled by a Supernatural force."

Darien studied the flames, realising that Andrew was right. The flames were too intense, too fierce. A fire like that should only have been able to burn for a few minutes before it ran out of juice and died down to a more manageable level.

It almost looked like a gas explosion.

"Are there gas lines running under that diner?" Darien asked him, knowing that Andrew must have been tipped off to the explosion by something other than the news. He must have been contacted by an informant or something.

"No," Andrew answered with complete certainty. "My contact says that it wasn't a bomb. It was one of us. A powerful Demon based on the size of the explosion. Look, his power is still fuelling the fire. My contact was in the vicinity. He felt the power surge and heard the explosion. He contacted me. If the Demon doesn't release the fire soon, I'll call the Ectrovalis and have them deal with it. Twenty mortals have already died. I can't risk the fire spreading."

"Why would such a powerful Demon blow up a Mortal diner?" Darien asked him, not understanding. Demons were immune to fire because Demons were essentially born from Hellfire. Only Angelfire could cause harm to a Demon. So it could not have been a Demonic assassination.

What was going on? All Demons should have been busy looking for Serena, not blowing up Mortal diners.

Something was not right.

"I have to go." Andrew told him seriously, a sense of urgency in his tone. "I have to get the Ectrovalis updated in case they need to risk interfering."

Darien did not like the idea of Andrew leaving while Serena was there, but he was not going to stop him. Andrew needed to do what he had to do.

With a much stronger surge of power behind him, Darien felt, Andrew summon a portal and a moment later he was alone in Andrew's living room.

* * *

Serena awoke to find herself alone.

Even though the room was windowless, her body told her that she had slept for a long time, maybe even though the entire day, except when she'd woken that once after the dream.

Sitting up, Serena became aware of the muffled sound of what sounded like the news coming for the other room through the ajar door.

Either Darien or Andrew was in the living room watching the news.

That seemed kind of weird. It was too _normal_. A Demon – or half Demon in Darien's case – watching the news?

Why?

Curious, Serena quickly showered – the stall big enough for half a dozen people – and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a baby pink sweater that Andrew had summoned for her during her first morning here. He had conjured her a wardrobe full of modern fashioned clothes in her correct sizes for her to wear.

Personally, Serena thought that it had been overkill, but she'd been thankful for a hot shower and a fresh change of clothes after spending two days with Darien in that deserted warehouse.

Once she was clean and dressed, Serena left the bedroom to find Darien sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to the plasma television that mortal men would have gone hard over. It was enormous!

Darien was watching the news. That was so _normal_ of him.

Deciding to join him, Serena walked over to sit on the couch but froze mid-step when the commentator's words reached her ears.

"_-Our hearts go out to the families of those killed in the Blue Moon Diner explosion. The cause of the explosion, whether __this is an accident or a terrorist bombing, is unknown at this time."_

Serena's entire form went ice cold. It couldn't be. It couldn't be _her_ Blue Moon Diner.

Very slowly, Serena turned to watch the television and she instantly wished she hadn't, the images on the screen instantly making her want to throw up.

The Blue Moon Diner, in which she'd worked with the girls for years, was engulfed in violent flames, flames towering high into the air above the diner.

'_No.'_ Serena knew she was shaking, but she couldn't feel anything. Her mind and her body were numb and she was frozen in place. _'The girls.'_

Something was terribly wrong. Out of the corner of Darien's eye he could see that Serena had gone as pale and as still as death. Turning his full attention from the television to Serena, Darien instantly knew that Serena was somehow connected to the Blue Moon Diner. The look of sheer horror and disbelief on her face was too real, too personal, not to have been.

"Serena?"

She did not even blink. Her eyes were impossibly wide, her bottom lip was trembling, tears were filling her eyes and she was only becoming paler.

Unable to stand it, Darien shot to his feet, reaching her a single heartbeat later. He took hold of her shoulders and gently shook her, needing her to come back to her senses and tell him what was wrong so that he could fix it.

"Serena!"

Serena blinked and slowly raised her gaze from the television to his eyes. Fear, horror and anguish glittered in her tear-filled eyes.

Darien's alarm tripled, was she in shock?

"The girls." Serena mumbled through pale lips.

Darien blinked. The girls? What girls? "Serena, you need to focus. You need to tell me. Do you know someone who works in the Blue Moon Diner?"

Serena nodded numbly.

Understanding dawned on him. Serena knew the Blue Moon Diner, either she had gone there often or she had worked there. Knew the people who worked there.

"Oh, Serena." Darien pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her numb form, desperate to give her what little comfort and support he could.

"They were Angels."

Huh? Darien pulled her back enough to look into her face, her words had been a whispered mumble but he was sure that she had said, _'they were Angels.'_ Who were Angels? The girls she had mentioned?

At least he could give her comfort now that he understood a little. Darien took hold of her shoulders once more and looked down into her glazed tear-filled eyes. "Serena, if they were Angels, the fire could not hurt them. Even one fuelled by Demonic power. Only Hellfire can harm an Angel and it takes a very powerful Demon to summon it, and an even stronger one to control it." He pointed at the image on the screen. "That's not Hellfire. I promise you."

Angel's couldn't die in fire? Serena's mind slowly began to absorb the words and their meaning, and relief flooded through her, immediately followed by guilt. The girls were alright, even if they had been in the diner. It took more than ordinary fire to kill an Angel. Darien wouldn't lie to her. But whether or not the girls had been in the diner still meant that people were dead. The Blue Moon Diner was an all night diner, that it was night meant nothing.

Many of the people who'd died she would know. Ric, her boss and the head cook, and Sandy, his wife who'd always been so kind and understanding. Harry, the assistant cook, Ric's younger by a good twenty years, who'd been a friend. The kind who always asked about her weekend and was interested in what she was up too.

And then there were the regulars. Mrs. Thompson, who loved collecting old coins and had nine cats, all strays she'd saved and cared for. Her husband had died five years ago of a heart attack, leaving her all alone. She had always been generous with her tips. And Mr. Harkwell, who worked the late shift. He always stopped by for dinner before going on his shift.

And so many others.

How had this happened? Why had it happened?

The tears gathering in her eyes finally spilled free from her eyes as she remembered to blink.

So many good people were dead. Why? Why? WHY?

"Why?" Serena asked Darien, needed an answer, no matter how pathetic it was.

Darien looked helplessly lost, visibly struggling for an answer for her. It was strange, Darien wasn't helpless. Even when he'd been dying, he'd still been giving her orders and fighting.

"I do not know, Serena." Darien finally answered, heavily. "I do not know why a Demon would do this-."

Hang on. Demon? Serena blinked, more confused than she'd ever been in her life. What did a Demon have to do with a fire at the Diner?

No. A still partly functioning part of her mind told her. The news reporter hadn't said '_fire'_, she'd said _'explosion'_.

This hadn't been an accident. This had been deliberate. There was no way this could've been an accident. The diner had electric ovens, not gas. There was no gas at the Blue Moon Diner, only electrical appliances. No gas, no dangerous flammable chemicals.

A bomb. Or _something_.

It was suddenly clear to Serena that it hadn't been a bomb.

Serena didn't need to be told that Demons didn't need to use bombs to make things explode. She'd seen the blood of Hell eat through a solid floor; she'd seen Demons use their Demonic powers to create portals and swords. It was more than plausible that Demons could make things explode at their will.

And Serena could only think of only one reason why a Demon would cause an explosion at the place she worked.

Serena pulled away from Darien, not able to stand the comfort and sympathy he was giving her. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve to be comforted, or protected or fought for.

She didn't deserve anything. She was the reason possibly as many as twenty people had been blown apart. Just as she'd been the reason her mother had died in childbirth and she had most likely been the reason her father and his new wife and unborn child had died in a fire. If a Demon had blown up the Blue Moon Diner, why couldn't one cause a fire that had killed the rest of her family?

And her old boyfriend. Had his car accident really been an accident or had he been killed because he was close to her?

"It's my fault." Serena mumbled numbly. How could it not be? Her entire life the people she had cared about had been dying, now it wasn't just the people she cared about but the people around her as well.

Darien tightened his hold on her shoulders as Serena's legs gave out from under her without warning. Darien had not missed her words saturated in despair and self-loathing, and it broke his Demonic heart.

She was blaming herself for something that was in no way her fault. She could not control the evil acts Demons did.

Even when they had done it to flush her out, to get to her. That was crystal clear to him. Darien had quickly realised, after Serena had told him that she knew the diner, that it had been done to flush her out. To bring her out of hiding so that they could grab her.

Darien was going to kill the Demonic bastard who had done this. With the power needed to do something like this without seriously draining themselves, it had to be a very strong Demon.

Which narrowed it down the list of capable Demons considerably. It had to be either his father or some high ranking Demon in his father's court.

"I'll find him, Serena." It was an oath, one Darien was willing to die to fulfil. "I'll find who did this and I'll kill him."

"I can't let anyone else die." Serena whispered brokenly. She'd heard Darien's words, but a part of her did want whoever had killed so many dead, but more than that she didn't want anyone else she loved to die. Not the girls and not Darien.

Serena looked up into his eyes, seeing his caring concern for her there. "I can't. If I'm the cause of this, if I'm the reason so many are dead, then let me be the next one to die. I can't live like this."

It was better that she die than someone innocent, right? Then she wouldn't have to feel anymore pain, wouldn't have to loose someone else she loved and she wouldn't have to make the Choice. She didn't want to be part of any supernatural war. She'd never asked for any of this.

Darien's eyes hardened, icing over so fiercely that Serena stepped back, pulling out of his hold. Where she found the strength to remain on her feet without his support was a mystery to her.

"No more dying for me." Serena whispered emotionally to him and turned her back to him, unable to look into those concerned eyes anymore.

The thought of him dying for her – again – made her stomach turn and her blood run cold.

Without warning, two strong hands took hold of her wrists from behind and firmly pinned them to her stomach in a firm but gentle grip, at the same time she was pulled back against his hard chest.

Serena blinked. She hadn't even heard, or sense, him move.

"You will never speak of hurting yourself again, do you understand?" A warning voice hissed into her ear as he held her pinned against him.

Serena forced herself to ignore the hard hot body pressed against her back and her own arousal as a result.

"Why do you care so much?" Serena asked, wondering why he cared so much whether she lived or died. If she were gone, then he'd be free. He could step back out of the war he wanted no part in. "You've made it clear that you want no part in this war and yet here you are protecting what both sides want so badly that they're willing to kill innocent people for it."

Darien did not answer. He did not know how to answer her, how to tell her that he did care very much what happened to her. He cared so much that he _had_ to protect her at any cost, not because Cassel had asked it of him but because he _had_ to protect her. The idea of harm coming to her was like a blade through his chest.

Finally, Darien answered, "You are too important, too necessary to the survival of the Human World. I will not allow anything to happen to you, not even by your own hand."

"So many have died because of me." Serena whimpered.

Darien drew in a heavy sigh, knowing that he could not deny the truth in the statement and he could not lie to her. It would only make things worse for her later. "There are always those few who must suffer for the sake of the rest and those who sacrifice for them."

Serena heard something deep and meaningful in his voice, something that told her that he understood, and that made her think of what he'd told her about his mother.

"Why? Why do I have to be part of this?" Serena begged him pathetically, like a small upset child. "Don't I get a choice in any of this?"

Silence for a long moment before he answered sadly, "I'm sorry, no."

"None of the others of my line have ever chosen to walk away?"

Not that he had ever heard of, and it would be something that would be known of in the Supernatural World. So much rested on the Choice of the Chosen. "I guess they could not leave the world to its fate."

And as much as Serena wanted to do so, she knew that she couldn't live with herself if she did walk away.

Serena slumped in defeat as sorrow and despair washed over her, and she started to cry. Cry for everyone and everything she'd lost.

And everything she was about to lose.

* * *

Holding Serena as she sobbed, Darien knew what he had to do.

But tomorrow night, let him have this last night.

He loved her and now he had to prove it. She had lost so much; he could not let her lose anymore. It would destroy her.

His plans cemented, Darien picked up his delicate tiny burden and carried her back into the bedroom. There he held her while she cried into the night until finally she had no tears left and she fell into a still sleep.

And all the while, Darien held her, knowing that when the sun set, he would never again have the chance to do so.

* * *

Dagon watched silently, with evil glorified self-satisfaction and pleasure, as the flames that engulfed all of the Blue Moon Diner danced furiously towards the sky above.

But the flames were not normal flames that mortals could eventually bring to heel. No, there flames were those of Hell, and the Hellfire burned by his will, fuelled not only by his power but by the lives it had claimed only a short time before.

It hadn't taken Dagon long to learn all there was to learn about the Chosen and the mortal life she had lead.

It hadn't surprised him that he hadn't found her at her place of mortal labour, and he hadn't really believed that taking the lives of those she knew would bring her running to him, but he'd decided to try anyway.

This trap hadn't succeeded in bringing him the Chosen, but that didn't mean that his next would not. Reiizon had predicted that Endymion would come to them and she was right more than she was ever wrong.

Soon, his plans would be put into action, plans that would see him King of the Demonic World upon the Earth with the Demoness Princess at his side as his powerful Queen and Seer.

Soon. Very soon.


	8. Chapter 7 Sacrifice to the Darkness

**I'm in a big rush today everyone, so I have to make this quick. I can't say when the next chapter is coming, but there are only a few chapters left on this one, so it should be completed hopefully by November at the lastest! **

**As always, thanks to everyone for reading and for the reviews!**

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Sacrifice to the Darkness**

* * *

All too soon for Darien, the day came to an end and the sun set below the horizon.

Serena had slept in his arms, peacefully it seemed since she had not stirred once. For that, Darien was thankful. She needed a good sleep and he was thankful for the one last time in which she would sleep in his arms. To watch her sleep so peacefully, filled his senses with her sweet scent, he had never known that sunlight, honey and vanilla could combine so harmoniously.

Darien knew what he had to do, what he should have done the night he had rescued her from her apartment.

Serena was not his to protect. He had kept her safe as long as he could; now he had to hand her over to those who could successfully protect her.

He had to wake her, they had to get going. She had to be in safe hands before the sun rose as now only one more night remained until she inherited everything that she had been born to inherit.

Tomorrow night, Serena would become everything she had been born to become and there would be no place for him in her life.

Darien looked down into her sleeping face, certain to his core that he loved her and that he had never seen one so beautiful nor held one so close to his heart.

Gently, Darien stroked her cheek with his thumb. He could see the dried tears on her face and smell the salt of them on her skin from where she had cried herself to sleep.

Over the last few days, Darien had witnessed her inner strength and unyielding will, unmatched by any woman he had ever known, but still he believed that she did not belong in the Supernatural World. She especially did not belong in this war. She was cursed, as she had been since the moment she had been born, to walk this world alone, fighting the forces of Hell – he did not doubt that she would choose Heaven's side, she did not have it in her to go against the light, against good – and bare what no one should have to for the sake of the Mortal World and Heaven.

"Cassiel believes that my father is the greatest threat to you." Darien whispered softly to her sleeping face, remembering Cassiel's words the night she had been born eighteen years ago. "But I am more dangerous to you than anyone."

To Darien's surprise, Serena slowly opened her eyes and looked straight into his, her eyes still red and puffy from crying, but certain at the same time.

Serena had woken with Darien's words in her ears. She hadn't heard the first part of what he'd said, but she'd heard him say that he was more dangerous to her than anyone. Why he thought that, Serena's didn't know, and in truth was that it really didn't matter. She knew she was safer with him than anyone.

"I don't believe that." Serena told him softly. "I have watched you fight Demons and Hellhounds for me. I have watched you nearly die to protect me. No matter what it is that you think you are, you're wrong."

The smile Darien gave her was sorrowful, the kind of sorrow that ran deep into one's soul. "It's not always as easy as that. Trust me. I have lived long enough to know."

Darien being so stubborn, Serena knew there wasn't anything she could say to convince him that he was wrong, at least not now.

Staring into his eyes, Serena became captivated. Darien was so much more than he thought he was; he condemned himself because he was half Demon, he didn't ever think that maybe there was hope for him because he was only _half_. He was half human too, more because he chose to be more human than Demon.

It was obvious to her that Darien's mother had seen that, that she'd loved him and seen in him what Serena saw in him. If only he would see the same in himself, he could one day forgive himself for what he'd been born.

There was that look in her eyes again. That look of complete trust and – dare he to hope it – fondness? Darien could not stand it, not while knowing what he was about to do.

Her eyes were telling him to kiss her, Darien was not so dense as to misread _that_, but he could not, no matter how much he wanted to kiss her outside of a dream. He was at worst, hours away from handing her over and never seeing her again.

Would she be angry at him? Hate him even?

Not that it mattered, all that mattered was that Serena was safe and as far away from his father as possible.

Needing to distance himself from her, Darien shifted away from her on the bed and rose to his feet, not looking at her.

"You had better dress." Darien told her evenly, heading for the door without looking back. "We have to get going. Dress warmly."

Serena blinked in confusion at Darien's hasty retreat. "Going? Where are we going?" She called out after him but Darien was already gone.

Serena couldn't help but sense that something wasn't right. Where was he taking her and why?

* * *

A cemetery. He had brought her to a cemetery. Again.

Serena looked around, slightly baffled and suspicious.

The cemetery they now stood in was old and vast. Old white tombstones and old tombs filled the cemetery, like a leafless forest of white stone that seemed to glow in the slivery blue light of the full moon above.

After an even quicker shower than the nigh before, Serena had dressed in another pair of jeans, a baby blue sweater, white sneakers and a heavy black coat, and Darien had summoned a portal, taking them back into Los Angeles.

As it had turned out, Andrew's apartment had been in Chicago.

Serena had stepped through the portal to find herself here, in this graveyard on the opposite side of the city from her apartment. She could tell because she could see the city in the distance.

Turning to Darien, who stood motionlessly beside her as he scanned the cemetery, Serena lifted an eyebrow in question. "Why are we here?"

Cemeteries were places that Demon's couldn't sense other Immortal beings, at least according to Darien.

And this cemetery felt strange, almost powerful. A power Serena recognised. The power of Angels. Strong Angels, by the feel of it.

The Cemetery had a feeling of angelic and ancient power about it. As if this was a sacred place to the Immortals. The power made her skin and senses tingle with awareness.

Her senses, Serena was beginning to learn, were becoming more and more sensitive. She could see further through the dark than she should've been able, she could hear more accurately, even her sense of smell and taste had become more receptive.

Before leaving Andrew's apartment – she hadn't seen Andrew in the last twenty-four hours of so – Darien had made her eat some breakfast. Never had anything tasted so vibrant with delicious flavour. She'd almost been able to taste the trees the fruit in her berry juice had come from. Taste the heat of the oven the bread that had baked her toast.

And her other senses – those normal humans didn't have – were really beginning to develop. Serena was beginning to sense Darien's Demonic power better than she was able to see or hear him. She could _feel_ where he was, even when she couldn't see him.

Turning her attention back to Darien, Serena realised that he was ignoring her question.

And that annoyed her.

Something was very different about him. From the moment Darien had practically fled from her after she'd woken an hour ago, Darien had been distant and almost cold towards her.

And she didn't have a clue why. Had she done something, said something, wrong?

Twice Serena had gone over the last twenty-four hours in her mind, but she hadn't come up with anything that would cause Darien to pull away from her.

There was her irrational moment when she'd considered suicide, but surely Darien wouldn't hold that against her. He had to know that she knew better than that now, that she'd come back to her senses.

She had mourned for those lost in Blue Moon Diner, and she'd do so again when all this was over, but she had more important things to worry about right now. She couldn't worry about those who were already dead when she had to worry about those who'd die if she didn't do what she had to do.

This brought her to another problem. Serena had no idea what it was that she was meant to do. Sure, she knew that she had to choose and fight in this Immortal War, but she had no idea how to do that.

"Serena."

Serena blinked, realising that Darien was no longer standing beside her. Now he was standing several feet away from her, looking back over his shoulder, clearly – and with a trace of impatience – waiting for her to snap out of it and join him.

"Oh." Realising that she'd been so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Darien move away from her, Serena hurried after him as he turned and continued on walking.

Serena had no idea where they were going, but she followed after Darien regardless. She was forced to walk a step behind him because of the grave stones; there wasn't that much room to walk side by side.

Staring into Darien's back, Serena wondered what had gotten into him. Even the time she'd first seen him, he hadn't been this cold and distant. It was almost as if he were putting distance between them on purpose, but why? Why now?

What had changed?

Serena sighed with mild frustration and shook her head; hopefully she'd find out soon enough.

Darien heard Serena's frustrated sigh, and was sorely tempted to toss in his plan, to take her in his arms and hide her away from the rest of the world for the rest of their lives, but as much as he wanted too, he could not. He would never be able to keep her safe, to keep her from the destiny she had been born into.

They had no future together and to try to create one would just be selfish. To Serena and the Mortal World.

The best thing Darien could do for her was to say goodbye, hand her over and then do what he had to do to ensure her safety.

Serena's life, in the next five thousand years, would be a lot easier if he did what he had to do. He could not do what he had been obsessing to do for centuries, to end his father once and for all, but there was another way. A way that would guarantee that it would end in Serena's benefit.

Serena would never forgive him, he did not deserve forgiveness and he would never ask for it. It would just have to be something he would have to live with.

For the short time he had left anyway.

If_ this_ did not get him killed first.

Ironically, the safest place for Serena was one of the most dangerous places for him.

This place was well known amongst the Earthbound Immortal beings. It was one of the few places on the Mortal Earth that Demons dared not to come unless he either had a death wish or was exceptionally powerful and arrogant – in other words fatally stupid.

Darien could sense powerful Angel power here. It made his skin prickle, his senses hammer in protest and self preservation scream furiously at him.

Ahead of them, Darien saw the tomb he was looking for. It was the largest tomb in the cemetery, built of white marble that had kept its well maintained condition. Mortals thought it was because of the stone from which it was forged, but Immortals knew better. It was Angelic power that kept it looking as if it had just been built, instead of it being centuries old.

This cemetery was frequently visited by the Angels on high. This was where Angels gathered in large numbers. Powerful Angels. Since Earthbound Angels had to possess Mortals – referred to as vessels – they always had to physically _be_ somewhere. This was a place that was, in a way, a conference room.

The Angels would know that a Demon had entered their territory, so to speak, and they would come. With any luck at all, it would be Cassiel who came.

Darien opened the solid heavy wooden door and stepped back, wordlessly indicating for Serena to enter first.

His senses had told him that the tomb was empty, expect for the dead buried here. It was safe for her to enter first.

Serena wanted to argue with Darien. She really didn't want to go into the dark creepy mausoleum, but she wasn't going to argue with him when he was in this mood. So, drawing in a deep breath for courage, Serena stepped inside.

It was nothing like she'd expected.

She was standing in a large circle room. The creamy grey marble was unblemished, without a trace of dirt, dust or a single crack. There were bronze plagues on the walls, with names and dates marked on them with elegant letters, but there was no other sign of anything dead.

What was really weird though was that there were fire torches on the walls, all alight.

Had Darien lit them? She hadn't felt him use his Demonic power.

Why were they there? And what was this place, really?

Serena could feel the Angelic power; it was stronger here than it had been outside. This was a place for the Angels, not Demons.

Why were they here?

Serena opened her mouth to ask Darien, demand it if necessary, but before she could utter a word her senses came alive as the amount of Angelic power in the room skyrocketed to overwhelming proportions.

Darien knew the growing amount of Angelic power meant that Angels were coming, powerful and plenty of them.

Without giving a word of warning, Darien pulled Serena protectively behind him, but did not summon his enchanted blade. He would be dead in milliseconds if he did.

In the space between one heartbeat and the next, they were surrounded by Angels.

* * *

The Power was immense.

Darien was no fool, he knew the power higher Angels held – he had been in Cassiel's presence many times before – but never had he been in the presence of so many at once.

Never had he been surrounded by Angels.

There were seven in all, five male and two female forms with divinely glowing skin and celestial eyes, all standing evenly apart as they surrounded him.

The sheer weight of their divine power wrapped around him, like a lake of glowing white shining tar, making it hard for Darien to breathe. It was as if gravity had suddenly been magnified around him, its will to bring him to his knees. The power was warm and _felt_ bright, but to the Demonic blood in his veins, it was overpowering to the point that it was almost unbearable. He was being crushed by their celestial power.

While his very being fought for survival against their very presence, Darien felt his own power flicker out like the flame of a candle against the sheer force of a hurricane.

Darien forced himself to ignore sense of being suffocated and to turn his attention to the situation at hand.

Of the seven, there were only two Angels Darien recognized. To his right stood the familiar form and power of Cassiel, who wore a solemn, thoughtful expression on his handsome face.

The other Angel Darien could identify, by the sheer power, stood arrogantly beside Cassiel wearing a deadly expression of pleasure-soaked anticipation as he glared into Darien's eyes.

Ariel.

Darien tensed, battle ready. Ready to once again battle for, not his life, but Serena's. Only in this battle he would not even have the chance to land a blow before they smit him from existence, but he would fight for her none-the-less if they showed any hostility towards her.

Serena took hold of Darien's arm, the way the Angels – she could feel it, it was so strong, so overpowering! – were looking at her was in no way friendly, and they were powerful. More powerful than anything she'd ever felt before. There were no pleasant emotions on any of their faces.

Darien had been right, not many Angels allowed themselves to feel human emotions.

Serena could feel Darien as tense and alert as he'd ever been under her touch. She was terrified, but not of the Angels and not for herself, but of what the Angels would do to Darien. He didn't stand a chance against them. They were so powerful; she couldn't even feel Darien's power anymore.

"Darien?" Serena mumbled, her words barely a whisper.

Darien shifted his body weight only fractionally, enough to put himself squarely between her and the most powerful, most dangerous, of the Angels, Ariel. "Be still."

Serena turned her attention to the most powerful of them. Unlike the others, who wore expressions of displeasure and reluctance, he had what Serena could only call malice on his almost eager face. It was as if he'd been waiting for this day for a long time with great anticipation.

Ariel's piercing stare burned into Darien as the Angel's power surged threateningly around him.

"Give us the Chosen," Ariel demanded menacingly, his tone saturated with repugnance, as if he were disgusted with just standing in the same state as him.

Darien felt Serena's grasp on his arm tighten and he felt her fear increase. He knew it was suicide, but Darien would not hand Serena over to anyone who terrified her so much. He had come here to hand her over to the Angels, but not to Ariel. Of all the earthbound Angels, Ariel was the most dangerous. Not because he was the most powerful of the earthbound Angels, but because he was ruthless and took great pleasure in his kills.

If Ariel believed that he had to kill Serena, he would not hesitate.

God only knew how many innocents Ariel – the heartless bastard – had killed.

There was no way in Heaven or Hell, Darien would leave Serena in Ariel's hands. He would die first.

"I don't want to leave you, Darien." Serena's frightened whisper was heart-breaking.

"You heard her." Darien told Ariel, careful to keep his voice hard and fearless. Ariel was not one you showed weakness or fear too. Not if you wanted to live, anyway. "She chooses to remain with me."

Darien had to battle against his instinctive reaction to cringe back from Ariel and his rage that was just as powerful and deadly as his Angelic power.

"You really think we would leave her with you?" Ariel spat at him in disgust. "The son of Valac? The Demon Prince Endymion?"

Serena gasped in horror, her eyes growing wide.

Valac? The _Demon King_? Valac was Darien's Demon father?

That meant that Darien was a Prince. _The_ Prince of the Demon world.

Prince Endymion.

As she remembered every time a Demon had called him Endymion, remembered every time the Demons had hesitated before trying to kill him, the last puzzle piece of the unknown about Darien fell into place. It all made sense now; the Demons hadn't wanted to anger their Demon King by killing his son.

Serena couldn't help but to take a small half step back from Darien as he finally turned to look at her. She felt so betrayed and hurt. She'd been falling in love with him, she knew that now. Why else would learning that he was the son of the Demon King hurt so much? "Is it true? You're Valac's son?"

Why hadn't he told her? Why had he hidden it from her? To what end?

Darien sighed in defeat and answered her question. He refused to lie to her. He would keep his word. "Yes. I am Valac's only son, the Demon King of those of Hell on Earth. I am the Demonic Prince, Prince Endymion."

There was pain in his eyes, real pain, and shame and guilt. His eyes weren't those of a cold hearted Demon Prince who only wanted her to get back into favour with is Demonic royal father.

They were the eyes of a hurting man who wanted nothing to do with the life he'd been born into. He had no more control over what ran through his veins than she did being the Chosen.

Before Serena could say a word or act to repair the damage she'd done by her rashness, Darien's eyes filled with defeat and he turned his back to her. Defeated, but unwilling to show his pain in front of the Angels. "Take her. Keep her safe. My father will stop at nothing until he has her."

Serena opened her mouth to say that she didn't want to go, didn't want to leave him, but before she could she felt cold strong hands take hold of her and pull her away from him. Serena wanted to shout, to protest, but the next words spoken stopped her dead.

"Kill him."

The most powerful of them had spoken, the Angel who had spoken to Darien, who looked upon him with disgust.

"No!" Serena turned to him, glaring into his eyes with less fear in her eyes for herself than for him. "Demon Prince or not, he saved my life! Kill him and you will have to kill me because if you harm him, I won't side with you!"

The deadly warning in his heartless eyes at her words was as clear as if he'd shouted it at her, that he'd kill her if she dared.

Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw Darien tense, to defend himself or her, she wasn't sure. He was preparing to fight a battle he had no chance of winning. The Angels would swat him like a fly.

No! Serena couldn't let that happen. For whatever Darien was, whoever his parents were, he'd fought to protect her, had nearly died for her. She couldn't repay all that he'd done for all with death.

She couldn't watch him die. She had fallen in love with him, Demon prince or no. She couldn't change what her heart had decided.

Darien knew that it was useless. He was going to die one way or the other, and he refused to go down cowering. He would go down fighting.

For Serena.

Cassiel stepped forward before Darien could act, his eyes on Ariel. "Ariel. Leave him be." His tone was authoritative and low. "The Chosen is right. He saved her life and kept her from Demon hands. He did what we failed too."

Ariel did not look at Cassiel, but it was clear that the furious fire in his eyes was meant for him.

Long moments passed in which none of them moved, moments in which Ariel seemed to consider the situation.

Finally, Ariel waved his large hand dismissively. "Filthy Demon." Ariel spat towards Darien before he stalked over to the Angel who held Serena and took hold of her Serena by her arm.

In a flash of white light and a shockwave of Angelic power, Serena, Ariel and all of the Angels, but Cassiel, disappeared. Leaving Darien alone with Cassiel.

Cassiel left the place he had been standing in the circle and walked to him, considering him with his all-knowing ageless eyes.

"Why did you let her go?"

"Because it's what's best for her." Darien answered, with partial honesty. He was not telling _anyone_ that he was in love with her. He turned his back to the Angel, trying and failing to hide how much losing her was affecting him. "I did my part. I did what you told me to do. I protected her and delivered her to you. She will be safe now; I can leave her and this war behind."

"If that's what you believe young Darien, then you are a fool." Cassiel sounded as if he should be shaking his head in dismay, but Darien did not turn to see. "You never understood, did you? You can't run from who you are. From whom you have now become. And as long as you run, it will never end."

Chances were that Cassiel was right – he had the irritating tendency to be – but Darien did not care. "It does not matter. She is safe now. She is in the hands of the Angels."

"You know as well as I, Darien that she will never be safe. She is cursed to be hunted for the rest of her days. Whatever side she chooses, she will be hunted by the other for the rest of her days."

Darien turned to him, only to find Cassiel was gone. Why he had not felt the Angel's power, Darien had long ago given up questioning. Cassiel seemed to be different from most other Angels. He seemed to be able to cloak his power more efficiently than any other Darien knew, even himself.

Darien was left alone with his thoughts and his heart ache. He would never forget the look on Serena's face this night. Not even if he lived for the rest of time.

There was only one thing left for him to do now.

The last thing he would ever do.

* * *

The power emitting from the towering sky scraper was so different from what Darien had experienced hours before.

In the cemetery the power had been warm and glowing, welcoming even, but this power was dark, cold and had a ravenous thirst. It was Demonic, and so it should be. After all, this was the place that the Demon King and the power of the Demon World on Earth resided.

The double glass tinted doors in front of him might as well have been the Gates of Hell instead of leading into a sterile grey lobby of what was to Mortal eyes another office building.

But it was anything but, this was where the power of the Demon Nation resided, this was where the most powerful evil Demons dwelled.

For so long Darien had been running from who and what he was and from the fate and father he now had to face, both of which he held so much contempt for. He had long ago resolved never to set foot in his father's house unless it was with blood in his eyes and the thirst for vengeance boiling in his blood, but here he was by his own choice, about to enter Hell on Earth.

His death waited for him here, one way or the other. All Darien could hope for was that he would take his father to Hell with him. Even if he did succeed in killing his father, he would not live much longer as his father's legions would see him dead almost instantly.

And with him dead, a form of civil war would erupt in the Demon World as the most powerful Demons fought for the dark Demonic throne and the right to rule.

Maybe even his half sister Reiizon would try for the throne. Knowing the cunningness of Demons as he did – especially that of Demonesses – Reiizon would no doubt try for the throne of their father. With her power of sight as impressive as he had heard it was, she might even stand a chance against the much stronger males.

Darien had been standing outside of his father's modern palace for several minutes now, trying to find the strength to walk through the doors. He knew that once he did, there would be no turning back.

There was no doubt that he would walk through those doors, no matter how much Darien wanted to walk away, he was just taking a few moments to let go of everything he was leaving behind.

He was doing this for Serena. She was worth sacrificing everything he had for. She was more than worth dying for.

There was only peace within Darien now, now that he had come to peace with what he was going to do and why he was doing it. It was easy to die for something when living was so much harder. Living without what you loved the most was the hardest thing anyone could ever do and he was just not that strong.

That was why Darien was going to try to kill his father. To keep Serena safe from him. With his father dead and he unable to be with the woman he had fallen in love with, Darien would gladly go to death, to peace.

"You know what this means." Cassiel said gravely from behind him.

Darien gave no reaction to the Angel's sudden presence, nor did he turn to offer greeting his friend. "I love her. Or as much as I can, anyway. I will do whatever it takes to protect her."

"If you do this, there's no going back."

Darien already knew that and he had made peace with it. "There never was." He said with a hint of lasting sadness. "At least by keeping her safe, my life will mean something. You're an Angel, I do not expect you to understand love as the Mortals feel it, but it drives you to do anything to protect the object of that love and that is what I am doing. She will be safe. There is only one thing my father wants as greatly as the Chosen, and that's his only son at his side."

With those words, Darien drew a deep breath and with his head held high, he walked through the glass doors and into his own personal Hell.

Cassiel watched sadly, as Darien disappeared into the darkness of the lobby, and then the doors closed and he could see nothing but his own reflection in the reflective doors.

One thing Cassiel really liked about Darien was that when he decided something, nothing could sway his resolve. Although he could not see it, he was everything that made a prince.

Only Darien refused to see that it was not a Demon prince that he held the qualities of.

Cassiel looked up into the night sky, his Angelic eyes able to see every star the city lights impaired mortals eyes from seeing.

"You do not have to tell me about love and the prices we pay to keep it." Cassiel whispered soulfully before he disappeared, leaving the side walk deserted and silent in the early hours of the morning.

* * *

What was it with Immortals and high priced apartments?

Looking around in disbelief, Serena felt like she was in a corny good verses evil movie. Everything was white – the blinding pure white – or cream. Hell, next to the white the cream was like electric pink. The only colour in the room was in the work of arts that hung around the room.

The room was filled with old Victorian style furnishings – all white or cream – from the large Victorian dining suite – covered with food and drink that had remained hot or cold, depending on the type of food – to the king sized bed covered in white fluffy pillows and a white fluffy duvet.

The floor beneath her feet was white marble with the faintest traces of grey through it; it was like standing on solid clouds.

And the art on the walls, framed in thick heavy gold frames, portrayed images of Angelic battles and Angels on the clouds Heaven. There were even a few of what appeared to be Mortals slaying Demons while guardian Angels watched angelically from above.

There were no windows, but there was a door, the exit Serena knew, but it would not open. It seemed that she was a prisoner.

Again.

Serena was studying a painting of seven Angels standing on the clouds of Heaven in a close circle, when a familiar voice spoke behind her.

"Wow. This room is corny, even by our standards."

Serena spun around to see Mina, Lita and Amy standing in the middle of the room, all dressed in white and glowing in the way Serena had come to understand was the norm for Angels.

Serena gasped, happiness exploding through her regardless of everything else. After all she'd been though she'd never learned their fate after she'd left them to fight Demons in her apartment when Darien had been dying.

Nor had she known if they'd been in the diner when it'd exploded.

They were alive!

Angels were alive, right?

Unable to stop herself, Serena ran to them and threw her arms around Amy and Mina's shoulders, hugging them tightly. She didn't care that they were Angels, all that mattered was that they were alive – again ? – and they were there with her.

"I'm so glad to see you girls!"

Soft fond laughter reached her ears and Serena felt three pair of gentle arms wrap around her, and she found herself the centre of a group hug.

"We're glad to see you safe and sound too, Serena." Amy told her in her gentle but caring voice.

Serena pulled away and looked into their faces in turn. Angels or not, they were still her friends. "I have so much to tell you."

* * *

It had been centuries since Darien had entered his father's throne room and his presence, but nothing had changed.

In the world of Immortals, centuries were as days were to Mortals. Being Immortal made time flow both faster and slower. Time to Immortals was different than what it was to Mortals. Time even moved differently in each world.

For instance, a day on Earth was a month in Hell, but only a minute in Heaven.

Darien had not expected to make it to his father's throne room unchallenged, but every Demon and Hell spawn moved hastily away from him, as if fearing to even set eyes upon him. Even the Dark Guard did not make a move against him which told Darien that his father had laid orders that he was not to be harmed.

Almost as if his father was expecting him.

As usual, the throne room of the Demon King was crowded with his Demonic legions, Demon and Demoness alike. All dressed in black and moving with inhuman grace, portraying the truth of what they really were.

The power in the room, especially that emitting from the dais on the other side of the room, was intense. Almost intoxicating.

This was where the power of the Demon World on Earth gathered.

As Darien walked along the long narrow carpet that ran from the large heavy double doors to the dais of the Demon King, his Demonic father, silence fell throughout the entire room. On the dais before him, the Demon King, the Demon Princess Reiizon and the king's right hand Demon, Dagon, turned to stare at him.

The Demon King sat tall and regally on his enormous solid gold throne that bordered on the theatrical in appearance. His expression one of great delight and dark anticipation, it seemed that his father was pleased to see him. Reiizon stood to the left of her father's throne, her hand resting on the top of the throne. The look she was giving him was one of displeasure and barely concealed fury. It was clear that _she_ was not happy to see him.

And Dagon glared down at him from the king's right, the place that the Demon King had always wanted Darien to hold. To be his right hand. It was clear on Dagon's face that he knew he was about to lose his place as the right hand of the Demon King, and he was in no way happy about it.

Darien made a mental note to be wary of Dagon if he was ever going to get close enough to his father to kill him.

It was evident that they were expecting him; it seemed that his sister had seen him coming in one of her visions.

The scarcely clad exotic and beautiful women – Demoness and Mortal alike – who had moments before been entertaining the Demon King, rose and left his father's attention without a word being spoken to them.

It seemed that his father still kept a harem, filled with the most beautiful females on Earth.

And by Heaven's light Serena would never be among them.

Darien reached the cleared area before the dais, but made no move to bow to the king. His father would have to give him something in return to earn that right from his son.

Long moments passed in which no one in the room dared to so much as shift their weight, as they watched on as the Demon King and the Demon Prince stare defiantly into each other's dark eyes. The Demon King was practically buzzing with dark pleasure and great amusement, while the Demon Prince kept his face hard and unreadable as he stood tall and proud before his father as if he had not spent centuries eluding his father's summons.

"Endymion," The Demon King called loudly, breaking the silence as if he were unaware of the mounting tension in the room, "what brings you here to grace my presence after so long avoiding me?"

Darien's eyes narrowed at the sound of his Demonic name. There was a hint of curiosity in his father's eyes. Darien had to wonder. It was evident that his father had known he was coming, that his sister had seen it, but it almost seemed as if his father did not know the reason he was there.

Hm. Interesting. Maybe he had a chance of killing his father after all. His sister either had not seen his traitorous plan or had yet to tell her father of it.

Either there were holes in her vision when it came to him and the Chosen or Reiizon wanted her father dead.

Knowing the Demon World as he did, Darien would have put his money on the latter. With the Demon King dead and his only son having no interest in the throne, it would not be difficult for her to take it for herself.

Maybe Darien really did stand a chance of riding the Mortal Earth of his father once and for all.

Darien carefully hid his intentions from his eyes. He could not chance his father catching onto him. Serena's fate was at risk if he failed her again.

"I have come to deal." Darien announced loudly so that all in the room could hear.

Instantly a wave of hushed hissing whispers echoed through the room as the witnesses' reacted to the shocking news. It was big news that the self-exiled Demon Prince had come to his father after all this time wanting to deal.

A Demon, or Devil's Deal, once made was binding by Ancient Demonic Law and power. Mostly such deals were made with Mortals in exchange for their souls. Andrew had made such a deal to save the woman he had loved, which had sent his soul to Hell. It had only been a matter of decades – in Hell time – before he had become a Demon, as was the fate of most Hellbound human souls.

But it was not always human souls that were traded, even though they were the most common Demonic currency. The more human soul's a Demon collected, the stronger and more powerful they became.

Sometimes there were things that Mortals possessed that Demons wanted. Things they could not easily take. This was rare but it did happen.

Like the deal Darien was now going to offer to his father. There was one thing he had that his father coveted above any other, even more than the Chosen.

Greedy triumph gleamed in Valac's eyes and he sat up straighter in his throne, almost salivating. The King knew that there was only one thing his son could offer him that would tempt him.

"To deal, my son." Valac eyed his son with false nonchalance. "You must possess something I want."

Darien's eyes flashed. His father was toying with him. "As it happens, I do have something you want." Hatred and fury that he had harboured for centuries cried out in protest within him, warning him to turn and flee or to attack and kill, to not surrender what was so precious to him, but there was a louder voice within him now. One born from his love of another. He had something worth sacrificing for now, something so much more precious to him than what he was about to surrender.

Darien stood tall like the prince he had been born to be. "I offer my service, my blade and my obedience." He refused to show weakness by allowing his voice to break in his father's presence. Weakness was something Demons fed on like a vampire fed on blood. "I surrender my freedom."

A collective gasp of shock and dark anticipation echoed once again through the crowded room. The room buzzed with excitement and anticipation as they witnessed what they thought they would never see.

Valac's demeanour became serious. What he had craved for so long was within his grasp, he was not going to let it slip though his fingers.

But Valac was no fool either.

"And what is it that I have that you crave so vigorously?" Valac asked him through narrowed eyes. "You have run from my reach for a long time. Why do you do this now?"

Darien knew he had to be careful here. If he did not word his reply carefully, he risked putting Serena in even more danger than she was now. If his father knew how much the Chosen meant to him, then he would stop at nothing to get her. He would send the Earthbound Armies of Hell after her in order to gain leverage over his only son.

"The Chosen."

The atmosphere in the room was one of awed excitement. The crowd in the room seemed to be completely focused on what was happening before them as if they could not believe their eyes that they were witnessing such a mind-boggling event.

Darien imagined that it was like the way Mortals would act if suddenly visible Angels, their white wings spread wide, started flying over their heads.

"As I hear it, Endymion, you yourself had the Chosen in your hands for days, fighting my warriors to keep her in your possession." Valac glared at him suspiciously. "Why do you need me to give to you what you had?"

It did not surprise Darien that his Demon father was unable to see that he was in love with her. "I want her safety and her freedom assured. I want her to be free from your pursuit and your harm. I want for her to never again be hunted by you, never harmed by your hand, or any you command. I want you to never attempt to sway her Choice."

Silence fell as the Demon King considered the offer. Valac saw now what he had not before. He could sense it in his son, a renewed purpose, one born of affection for the Chosen. He could practically see the light such as that which affection tended to cast.

Finally the time had come when his son had gained himself a weakness that Valac could exploit. He had made a mistake long ago of killing Endymion's mortal mother, as Endymion had cared for her more than he had believed and it had cost him dearly. For centuries his son had hidden from him, harbouring the desire to see him dead.

But now Valac had a second chance to get his son by his side, where he rightfully belonged. There was no disputing it; the price Endymion was asking was great. It had been so long since a Chosen had sided with him and that Chosen had lived barely a century before the Angels had cut him down.

And this Chosen had been born a female. The second in the row and if this Chosen was anything like her mother, the previous Chosen, then she too would hold a pure heart that would never even consider siding against Heaven and a strength unmatched by any other.

Less than forty-eight hours remained until the Chosen would be forced to voice her Choice and inherit the powers of her line. Not enough time to sway her Choice, even if he could find her.

Endymion returning to his side was a worthy consolation prize to the Chosen, even if Endymion was not loyal to him at first. It would take centuries, maybe millennia to manipulate his son into giving him his trust and loyalty, but it was doable.

Endymion had remained so human by avoiding his father and the evil of Hell. Evil that would slowly seep into him over time. Given enough evil over enough time, his Mortal side would be wiped away and he would finally have the Demon son he had for so long sought.

In five millennia, another Chosen would be born and with his son at his side, Valac would be strong enough to find him before the Angels could get to him.

Valac was a patient King. A quality so few of the Demon World possessed, which made him so much more powerful and dangerous.

Turning to his left, but never taking his eyes off his son, Valac addressed his daughter, "Reiizon?"

"He means it father." Reiizon answered readily. "For the Chosen, he is willing to serve loyally."

Darien's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Reiizon carefully. Reiizon was lying, only he seemed to be the only one who noticed. He had not expected her too, but she had.

It seemed that Reiizon really did want her father dead, something that was already working to his advantage. Only, he would have to be as wary of her as he was of Dagon, maybe more so.

Valac rose to his feet and Darien turned his full attention back to his father. Everything was riding on this moment, on his father's choice.

Darien tensed, ready to summon his blade if his father refused. If his father did not take his deal, he would attempt to kill his father before any other could act to stop him.

The biggest threat, now that it was evident that Reiizon wanted her father dead, was Dagon. If Dagon managed to interfere with his first attack, then he would die before he got the chance to take the Demon King with him.

"So be it." The Demon King announced loudly, almost proudly. "I will leave the Chosen be. In return you will take your place beside me, as Prince Endymion of the Demon Forces on Earth."

Darien relaxed, solemnly relieved. Serena was safe.

Summoning his enchanted blade to his hand, Darien lowered it to the palm of his left hand and without betraying any sign of pain, he sliced open his palm.

Blood pooled into his hand, crimson blood he had been given by his mother. He instantly felt his power automatically rise up to heal the injury, but Darien summoned more power to stop the healing. He needed his blood to fill his palm.

'_Forgive me, mother, but I need to keep her safe. I can__not fail her as I failed you.'_

And Darien fell to one knee, bowed his head and laid his bloody palm to the floor, assuming the Demonic stance of submission.

Darien could almost feel the ancient Demonic power lock into place, cementing the deal between them.

The deal was done, never to be undone. He was his fathers to command now, until his chance to act presented itself, he was trapped within his worst nightmare.

But for Serena, he would endure it.

For all eternity.

* * *

"And then I find myself here! Trapped in some cheesy Angel's apartment, at least until tomorrow night when this thing is meant to happen!" Serena released a pent-up frustrated breath as she concluded her account of the previous days. It had taken over an hour – she thought, there were no clocks in the room – to fill them all in on what had happened to her in the last five days. The girls had listened, silent and enthralled, the entire time.

"Darien just brought you to Ariel?" Mina asked, stunned. "Just like that."

Serena nodded.

"Wow." Lita breathed. "Either Darien has the biggest set of balls this side of Heaven or he really does care what happens to you."

Serena blinked, mystified. "Huh? He just handed me over, just like that, and you say he cares for me?"

Three pairs of caring eyes softened.

"Serena, honey." Amy said softly. "If it hadn't been for Cassiel, Ariel wouldn't have hesitated to smite Darien as if he were any other Demon."

"He risked his very life to bring you into Angel hands." Lita held admiration in her almost glowing eyes. "That he protected you in the first place, is a conundrum."

Mina nodded in agreement. "Endymion is well known in the Immortal World as the son of the Demon King in hiding. Every one knows that he wants no part in anything involving his father. To take you under his protection put him squarely in the middle of this war."

Serena's irritated temper flared as the pain inside her heart leapt up a notch. "How can you say he cares when he just handed me over without as much as a goodbye?"

"Because you are safe here." Lita told her soothingly.

"I'm a prisoner here!" Serena protested. Even though she knew the girls were right, it still hurt that Darien had been able to hand her over without so much as a word. He'd brought her to the cemetery with the intention of getting rid of her.

Not that Serena could all together blame him; she'd almost gotten him killed.

But damn it! If Darien – Endymion – hadn't wanted anything to do with her or this war, then he shouldn't have saved her in the first place!

Serena sighed inwardly. Yeah, right. Maybe if she kept telling herself that she'd eventually believe it.

So much of what Darien had done since the first night they'd met, the night she'd hid him with her baseball bat, he'd done nothing but protect her. He seemed so unlike the other Demons she'd had the displeasure of meeting – all except Andrew that was.

If Darien had always intended to hand her over to the Angels, then why hadn't he said something or turned her over to them sooner? Why now, so soon before her Choice?

"Not everything is always as it seems." Said a soft and friendly male voice.

Serena turned, looking passed the girls, to see the Angel she knew to be Cassiel standing there. She had heard so much about him. He'd been the one to reveal to Darien the truth of who had really killed his mother and he'd been the one to send Darien to protect her.

He had also spoken out against Ariel to save Darien's life.

All at once, a feeling of long forgotten familiarity filled her, and she knew she'd seen this angel before. It had only been for the reason that she'd been overcome by the truth of Darien's father that she hadn't paid the feeling any attention before when Darien had surrendered her to the angels.

Before Serena could do anything to stop it, a memory flashed before her eyes. A memory that had been buried deep within her subconscious ever since her childhood.

_The room around her was burning. The smoke was so black, so thick, that it hurt to breathe. The __heat from the flames was burning her skin and the smoke was hurting her throat and making her cough uncontrollably. _

_She'd only been six years old, curled up in the corner clutching her favourite stuffed pink rabbit to her chest in terror, as hot tears had streamed uncontrollably down her young face._

_Only moments ago, the screams of her family – her father and her step mummy who was carrying her brother in her__ big fat belly – had disappeared, swallowed up by the roaring of the cruel hot flames._

_And then, he'd been there. The Angel she now knew to be Cassiel. He'd appeared in her room and had walked through the flames as if they hadn't even been there.__ There was sadness in his eyes, even as a child she had known it, but a soft smile on his handsome flawless face._

"_It's alright, little one." Somehow she had heard his voice over the sound of the flames, even though he spoke barely louder than a whisper. "__I've come to help you."_

_Her daddy and step mummy had told her not to talk to strangers, that there were dangers in doing so, but there was no fear within her. There was something about him that was familiar and comforting. "Where's daddy?"_

_His smile faded. "I'm so sorry, little one. I could not help them."_

_Serena leapt to her feet, still holding her bunny tightly in her small hand. She'd been a child, too young to understand the true meaning of his words. "Who are you?"_

"_I'm an __Angel. I've come to help you."_

"_An __Angel?" Interest rose up within her tiny chest, she'd always been curious. "Do you know my real mummy? Is she in Heaven? Daddy says she was."_

_The angel nodded. "Yes. Your mummy is in Heaven.__ She watches over you, as she shall on your difficult path ahead." He lowered to his knees, took hold of her and lifted her into his arms, cradling her legs and midsection against his chest so that she could still look into his eyes. "When you grow up, we will meet again. But for now you need to grow up, somewhere safe."_

_Serena gaped in wonder as a whirlpool of swirling water appeared in the air between them and the flames._

_Without another word from the Angel, they stepped through what Serena now knew to be a portal._

Serena gasped as the memory released its hold on her. That's why Cassiel was so familiar to her! That's why she'd thought that she'd felt the sensation of going through a portal before, that night Darien had taken her from her apartment!

And that was why she lived, why she'd survived the fire that had killed her family. Cassiel had come and saved her, had taken her from the burning room.

For a brief moment, Serena wanted to be angry at her guardian Angel, for not saving her family, but she knew from the look he'd given her that night when he'd told her he couldn't save her family and right now, that if he had been able to save the lives of her father and stepmother, he would have.

Serena cast a glance at the girls. They all seemed to be standing straight, as if to attention. The expressions on their faces were those of lower soldiers looked upon a commander they greatly admired and respected.

It seemed that Cassiel didn't only hold Darien's respect.

"Girls, would you give me a moment with the Chosen, please?" Cassiel asked politely. His words sounding every bit the request they were, instead of the order Serena half expected.

What was it about Cassiel that made gave him such a comforting and commanding presence? Yes, he had saved her life, but there was something more there that she couldn't even begin to identify.

The girls didn't even hesitate. Amy gave Serena a gentle assuring smile, Mina stepped up to her and gave her a sisterly hug and Lita said with a sisterly smile, "Everything's going to be alright Serena. You'll see. We won't be far away."

And all three disappeared in a flash of blinding white light, leaving Serena alone with the Angel.

Wow. Serena couldn't help but be slightly surprised. The girls really did trust him completely. She'd never seen them so relaxed about leaving her in the presence of anyone before.

Maybe it was because he was an Angel. Or maybe it was because it was Cassiel, who seemed to have a talent for gaining the absolute trust of others. Or maybe it was because she knew now that he'd saved her life before.

Serena wondered if she would fall to his charisma as well.

"I know you."

Cassiel nodded once, not seeming surprised in the least. "Yes, we have met before."

"The night you saved me from the fire that killed my family." Even though Serena hadn't meant it too, there had been an element of angry blame in her tone.

Sadness and something that almost seemed like regret filled his eyes and his smile fell from his lips. "I arrived too late to stop the fire, but I did stop them from taking you."

Serena blinked in confusion. "What?"

Cassiel looked straight into her eyes, almost as if to let her see the truth of his words in his angelic crystal clear _glowing_ eyes. "That fire was no accident, Serena. It was Demons that started that fire. They found you and killed your family, starting the fire to consume the bodies. I arrived just as they had finished the task. All I could do was slay them and save you from the lingering flames. There was nothing I could do for them, but please know that they were gifted with entry to Heaven. They live together, happily, upon the clouds of Heaven."

There was nothing, not a single element that made her doubt his story. And maybe before all of this, she would have cried and screamed, but now a sense of calmness had washed over her. Her family was gone, crying and screaming wouldn't bring them back, nor undo the past.

She gave herself solace in that they were all in a better place. Together and happy.

Serena closed her eyes and asked the same question she had asked his years ago, "And my mother?"

"Also knows the peace and glory of Heaven." His words sounded like a promise rather than an assurance.

Silence stretched between them, moments in which Serena kept her eyes closed and focused on the new information, using it to bring some peace and closure to herself about her past. She had too much to focus on in her present and her future; if there were any lingering doubts or guilt about the past, they would have to wait.

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable, Serena?" Cassiel asked polity after a few minutes, really wanting to make her more comfortable. "Or anything you need?"

Serena opened her eyes and studied Cassiel for a long moment, beginning to see what so many others saw in him. He was kind and considerate, and caring. Just as Serena had always imagined what Angels would be like.

He was a far cry from Ariel, that was for sure.

Cassiel gave her a small wise and knowing smile. "Not all of us Angels are heartless warriors, as Ariel is." He gave a dismissive shrug of his broad shoulders. "The fact is that many owe Ariel a great deal. He's had the strength to do what other Angels haven't had the, shall we say stomach, to do. It's made him hard, ruthless, but that's the price of what he does."

"And what might that include?" Serena asked, sidetracked from her line of thought by her curiosity which partly came from a sense of self preservation.

Cassiel looked directly into her eyes, completely serious. "Ariel mainly kills our fallen brothers and sisters. Angels who betrayed the will of Heaven. And the Mortals who need to die for the greater good."

With that last part, Serena was sorry she'd asked.

While Serena tried to think of something to say to _that_, she watched as Cassiel walked over to one of the paintings she'd been admiring earlier and looked upon it with unreadable eyes.

Cassiel continued to study it for so long that Serena found her own eyes drawn to it, curious to find what Cassiel found so captivating about it.

It was an image of a Mortal – so she assumed by the lack of Angel wings or Demonic horns as in the other paintings – man fighting a Demon consumed in what she assumed was Hellfire while Angels watched from the clouds above. The man was dressed in what she assumed to be ancient Roman or Greek silver armour with a helmet that had deep red fabric beneath.

It was beautiful, no doubt, but what had it so fully captured Cassiel's attention.

When Cassiel finally broke the silence between them, he spoke with a kind of sad casualness. "You know, Darien has to be the strongest man I have ever known in all my time on the Mortal World."

Serena struggled not to answer him with the words she knew she shouldn't even think, let alone speak, but she felt compelled to point it out. "He's not a man, he's a Demon."

Cassiel nodded once in agreement.

It was the truth, what could he say?

"It is true that Darien is Valac's son by birth but by all else he is his mother's son." Cassiel looked down from the painting, and turned to her. "As much as Valac tried to gain his son's favour, he could not compete with the love his human mother graced him with. She loved him with all her heart and she wanted him to be able to make the choice of which side he stood upon."

The more Serena heard about Darien's mother, the more extraordinary and brave hearted she seemed. Serena couldn't imagine what it was like to give birth to such a child, to love him when he was partly something that wanted to see the enslavement and end of her race.

"You see, Darien's mother did not know who Valac was until it was too late." Cassiel went on. "He was charming and sophisticated, and knew all the charming words to say. You see Demons tend to know more about the Mortal World than Angels do because Demons can live more freely in the Mortal World. They aren't bound by the laws Angels are."

"I've known of other women in her situation to take their own lives. Unable to bare the pain of spawning a Demonic child. Darien's mother was different, stronger." Cassiel turned his eyes back to the painting. "She resolved to bare the child of a Demon and to teach him right from wrong, to give him love and a heart. As much as his father would argue otherwise, Darien is more human than any man I've ever had the pleasure of knowing in all my eternal life. And I was there when the human race was born."

Serena followed Cassiel's gaze and gasped, startled. The painting had come to life, like a paused movie being resumed. The Hellfire danced around the vicious Demon, the Angels spread their angel's wings wider and the man thrust his sword through the heart of the Demon.

"Even though it has torn him apart and broken his heart by handing you over, Darien is not only willing to live without you to keep you safe, but he is willing to become what his father wants him to be for the sake of the woman he loves." Cassiel said as the images played out their story before Serena's wide eyes.

And then the man in the painting turned and looked at her with penetrating dark blue eyes. Serena gasped shocked, more so than she'd ever been in her life.

Cassiel didn't seem surprised by her reaction. "Darien is the only one who can defeat Valac. Only the son can destroy the father." He turned back to the image as it became still once more, returning to its original state. "So many have died in their attempts to defeat Valac. Demons, Mortals and Angels alike. Only Valac's kin can kill him. That is Darien's destiny, one he has been running from for so long." He once again turned to look into her eyes. "He finally has something to give him enough strength, enough will, to do what he must. He finally has something he's willing to die for."

Serena opened her mouth to ask what it was that Darien would die for, when suddenly music reached her ears.

Serena turned, following the music, to see a radio sitting on the table behind her – that hadn't been there before – music blaring from its black speakers.

Intending to question why he had summoned it, Serena turned back to Cassiel only to find him gone.

Scanning the room to find herself alone, Serena turned her attention back to the radio as the lyrics began to play.

'_If you could see inside my heart _

_Then you would understand._

_I'd never mean to hurt you_

_Baby I'm not that kind of man.'_

Serena blinked at the radio, Darien's face flashing before her eyes. The lyrics, they made her think so much about Darien.

Not realising that she was even moving, Serena slowly walked closer to the radio, captivated by the lyrics and the meaning they held to her.

'_I might not say I'm sorry_

_Yeah__, I might talk tough sometimes_

_And I might forget the little things_

_Or keep you hanging on the line_

_In a world that don't know Romeo __and Juliet_

_Boy meets girl and promises we can't forget_

_We are cast from Eden's gate with no regrets_

_Into the fire we cry__.'_

Memories flashed before her eyes. Memories of Darien. Darien healing her when she was hurt, Darien fighting to protect her, Darien feeding her and keeping her safe.

"_I'd die for you_

_I'd cry for you_

_I'd do anything_

_I'd lie for you_

_You know it's true_

_Baby I'd __die for you_

_I'd die for you_

_I'd cry for you_

_If it came right down to me and you_

_You know it's true, baby I'd die for you__."_

And Darien had nearly died for her. He had been willing to. Didn't it mean more that he was so close to death but still refused to go on to peace just to keep her safe? He'd fought for his life instead of embracing death because he'd known that he'd be leaving her behind unprotected.

Darien had done more than die for her, he'd lived for her. He'd never said it, but somehow Serena knew it.

Darien would do anything for her. That's what Cassiel had meant when he'd said that Darien had finally found something worth drying for.

Darien was going to try to kill his father and whether he succeeded or not, he'd die for it.

"_I might not be a saviour."_

But he was; he just didn't know it.

"_And I'll never be a king"_

Because he chose not to be.

"_I might not send you roses_

_Or buy you diamond rings__."_

Who'd asked for them?

"_But if I could see inside you_

_Maybe I'd know just who we are_

'_Cause our love is like a hunger_

_Without it we would starve__."_

Serena could see inside of him, she could see him as he really was, and what she saw wasn't evil or bloodthirsty. She saw kindness and caring, courage and selflessness. And she saw a determination to not be evil; didn't that by definition make him good?

"_In a world that don't know Romeo and Juliet_

_Boy meets girl and promises we can't forget_

_We are cast from Eden's gate with no regrets_

_Into the fire we cry__."_

And for him, she would go into the fire just as he was doing for her.

"_I'd die for you_

_I'd cry for you_

_I'd do anything_

_I'd lie for you_

_You know __it's true_

_Baby I'd __die for you_

_I'd die for you_

_I'd cry for you_

_If it came right down to me and you_

_You know it's true, baby I'd die for you__."_

Oh god! She couldn't do it. She couldn't leave Darien to his death, not when she had the means to save him. So many times over the past five days he'd fought to protect her and in doing so he'd put his own life on the line. He'd been willing to die for her from the beginning.

She had to save him from his father and from himself. He wasn't the only one who would die for the one they cared about.

"So what's it going to be?"

Serena spun around to see Cassiel standing behind her, his eyes filled with meaning and knowing.

"What's your choice going to be?" He challenged her. "Darien holds his freedom far more precious than he holds his life and that's what he's sacrificed for you. He's gone to his father and struck a deal. He will take his place beside his father in exchange that Hell no longer hunts you. A deal he will not honour as he plans to kill his father the first opportunity it is presented to him. So what are you going to do?"

"_I'd die for you_

_I'd cry for you_

_I'd do anything_

_I'd lie for you_

_You know it's true_

_Baby I'd die for you_

_I'd die for you_

_I'd cry for you_

_If it came right down to me and you_

_You know it's true, baby I'd die for you._

_Oh, oh, baby I'd for you_

_But only for you._

_Oh, o__h, baby I'd die for you._

_Only for you."_

Serena closed her eyes and turned inwards, searching her soul and her heart. She loved Darien. And Darien was willing to give up what he held most precious for her. She'd seen so much in Darien when he'd talked about his father that she hadn't realised until now. Darien feared the fate his father wanted for him because he was so afraid of being seduced by evil and liking it.

Darien feared betraying his mother above all, but that's what he was willing to do for her, to keep her safe and out of his father's hands.

Serena gasped as her eyes flew open in astonished realisation.

Darien loved her and he was willing to die for her. He must love her; why else would he give so much? Why else would he have faced Angels he'd known would kill him on sight? And now he was giving up all he had left – his freedom – to save her from his father. His freedom was his most treasured possession and he was going to give it up for her.

Darien had been willing to give his life for her, his freedom, and soon he would lose both forever.

Serena was willing to give her life in exchange for his, but her life meant little, but there was something else, something greater that she could give for him.

Serena looked straight into Cassiel's eyes, for the first time in her life, her future was clear. She knew what she wanted and how she was going to get it. She knew what she had to do.

Her choice was made. She chose Darien and whatever came with him.

"I'm going to choose him."

Cassiel smiled in delighted agreement. "Then go to him."

"How?"

Cassiel's smiled widened. "I can't open that door for you, but what is stopping you from opening it yourself?"

The memory of a glittering golden shield played before her eyes. She had power. She'd used it before to protect Darien. It had come to her when she'd needed it most, to save Darien.

All Serena had to do was to let go of her fear and her uncertainty and embrace who she was. She was her mother's daughter. She was of the Chosen line and she was the next Chosen.

Heaven's most powerful earthbound warrior.

A door was something she could handle.

Serena walked purposefully to the door and laid her hand on the knob. She could do this, all she had to do was believe and remember why she needed to get out of there.

Warmth consumed her, power buzzed in her veins and Serena somehow felt lighter, weightless, as if she were floating on a white warm cloud.

When Serena looked down at her hand on the knob, she almost lost her concentration and her hold on her elusive power. It was taking every ounce of her concentration to keep hold of the power. It was like trying to hold onto mist with her mind.

It was fleeting and slippery. It was quickly slipping through her fingers, but Serena was confident that she had enough to do what she needed to do.

The golden power flowed from her fingers into the door.

And a moment later the door was no more, gone as if it had never been there to stand in her way.

Serena looked over her shoulder at her new trusted friend. Now she understood why so many trusted him, why so many befriended him, even Darien.

Serena smiled appreciatively at him, her eyes warm. "Thank you, Cassiel."

Cassiel bowed his head once in response and Serena stepped over the threshold and into the old cemetery. As she stepped into the cemetery, Serena felt a sense of destiny descend down upon her and fill her with purpose.

She'd been born into this war, just as Darien had been. A war in which her own mother had fought for thousands of years. This was who she'd been born to be, who she was. This was how she could know her mother; a mother Serena knew had loved her dearly.

She would follow her heart, wherever it took her. She would go her own way, choose her own path. She was part of an ancient line, and powers or no, that made her special. She could protect as others had protected her.

She was the Chosen and it was time that she accepted her fate, her birthright, and she stopped running from it.

It was time she chose and accepted the powers and responsibilities that rested upon her shoulders now.

Around her, Serena could feel the power of the Angels rise, particularly the slightly cooler touch of Ariel's power. It should've surprised her how easily she was able to recognise the power of the Angel with the dark heart, but it didn't.

Serena smiled serenely, at last she was at peace with who she was and what she had to do.

The Angels seeked to stop her, but that wouldn't do at all. She was still twenty-four hours until the moment she'd inherit her true powers, but for the passed week her senses had been growing, and somewhere along the way she'd received a taste of what her power would soon be.

A taste that was more than enough for her to deal with Angelic beings who had more than a little underestimated her.

Serena reached deep inside of her, and without fear or uncertainty, took hold of the glowing power within her and pulled it to the surface.

However she had changed since that moment only five days ago when Darien had stepped into her living room, Serena now felt confident and set. She knew what she had to do, she knew where she had to go and she knew who she wanted by her side.

Serena eyes opened and, as her power exploded out from her in a supernova of golden light, consuming and forcing away the Angelic power around her, Serena smiled with serene self-belief and confidence.

In her mind, a warm motherly and loving voice sang the familiar words Serena had always carried within her heart, _"Angels in Heaven watch over from above, always know that you are loved."_

Days ago, Serena had had a dream that had told her that she had to choose between Darien and her mother, between light and dark.

Heaven's light or Hell's fire.

The choice all those of her line before her have had to make.

But that wasn't the choice Serena was faced with, had come to peace with. No, her choice was something else entirely.

Love or the fate of all mankind.

An easy choice.

* * *

**You all know how much I love reviews, even the honest ones, so please feel free.**


	9. Chapter 8 Dark Union

**Hi Everyone! It's been a while longer than I said it would be for this chapter, so thanks to everyone for being so patient and for all the inspirting and wonderful reviews! You all know how much I love them.**

**Anyway, we are nearing the end in this story. There is only one more chapter to come, oh and the Epilogue of course!**

**And an extra special thanks to my wonderful, amazing editor, AngelONight, for time she really didn't have to get this chapter back to me so I could post it! Let me tell you all, it takes a long time to edit my work - I am really really bad that things like spelling, grammar and punctuation. So thanks AngelONight, you are a champion!**

**Enjoy Everybody!**

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Dark Union**

* * *

Serena didn't know what it was that she'd expected to find as the abode of the Demon King, but a skyscraper in the middle of Los Angeles's business district had been surprising.

It hadn't been hard to find it, the dark power emitting from the building was immense, but even through the immense power Serena had been able to sense Darien. The moment she'd stepped out of the cemetery, the sense of Angelic power had dissolved and she'd been able to use her newly acquired sharp senses to probe the city for Darien.

Her senses had lead her here, to the skyscraper that looked normal and perfectly in place in the heart of the city when in reality, it was a Demonic fortress.

Serena had expected some resistance, but there had been none. In fact, she'd stepped into the lobby only to have a stunningly attractive woman – Mortal woman – approach her with a smile on her face and request that Serena follow her.

On the elevator ride up to the top floors, Serena had a chance to get a proper read on the woman and what she'd learned had horrified and sickened her.

The woman's soul was gone; there was nothing in her body but an empty void, leaving behind only a mindless slave.

Serena had felt sadness and pity for her. The woman was so young and perfect, how had she fallen into the Hell of the Demonic World? Her soul had been stolen, most likely pulled into the depths of Hell or used to fuel some Demon's power, while her body remained to be used and abused as her master pleased.

The woman was no longer a she or a her, no this woman was an it. There was nothing left of who she'd once been, only an empty soulless husk, a mindless slave.

And Serena knew that this wasn't the only one, no doubt the building was filled with its kind.

All around her, all Serena could sense was evil and Demonic power and it was becoming more intense with every floor the elevator passed.

There was something powerful and evil at the top of this building, and Serena knew his name.

Valac, Darien's father and the Demon King of Earth.

Once the elevator had reached its elected floor, Serena forced her thoughts away from the woman behind her, there was nothing she could do for her now, and she turned her full focus to what lay ahead of her.

Serena could still sense Darien, but it was a weak sense. There was too much evil power, greater power, overshadowing Darien's.

The corridor was lined with motionless, but very powerful, very lethal, Demons; their purpose clear.

To protect what lay on the other side of the doors.

Not one of them so much as batted an eye as she passed. The soulless woman, politely – but with no real emotion – told her to go right ahead through the doors as if her presence was expected.

And now, after all this night had held for her, Serena found herself opening those doors and stepping into the heart of the Demon world on earth.

Without pause, or even breaking her stride other than to open the doors, Serena entered what she immediately found to be a Demonic throne room,filled with a crowd of at least one hundred Demons and Demonesses.

Serena kept her head tall as she walked along the narrow blood red carpet that ran from the door to the other side of the room where on a dais Darien's father sat upon a black golden chair that was for lack of a better word, a throne.

Darien stood at his father's right side behind his throne, watching her very tensely through violently startled eyes as she made her way to the dais, to his father, the most dangerous Demon on the Earth.

But Serena wasn't afraid, not now. Not when she held Darien's fate, the fate of the man she loved, in her hands. What she had to be now was brave, clever and careful. She had one chance, and it was small, she couldn't afford to mess it up.

Darien stepped forward, his eyes intense as they blazed with so many emotions that Serena felt dizzy looking into them. He wore all black, from his black leather boots to the shimmering black long sleeved silk shirt only buttoned up half way, revealing a great deal of the hard chest beneath. His sheathed sword, ready in waiting for its next battle, hung low from his sheath belt that looped him twice, once around his waist and once around his hip.

"Serena! What are you doing here?" Darien demanded fiercely through tightly clinched teeth.

Serena couldn't help herself from staring, he was so handsome, so dashing, standing there proudly like the warrior prince he was. He was faultless in his perfection; he looked more like a Greek god than a half blooded Demon prince. Flawless tanned hard-muscled flesh that gave glory to the muscle rippling beneath, blue eyes as deep as the deepest ocean while as endless as a summer's sky, hair as black as a raven's wing with locks that hung theatrically over his forehead and danced above his eyes with the slightest of movements.

And even though Serena knew that it would irritate him to no end, she gave him a loving smile. And without saying a word to him, she turned her attention to his father as she stood tall and proud, her expression becoming serious with resolved determination.

The amusement on Valac's face was causing him to virtually beam with delight and amusement as he stared down at her with an evil, but pleased, grin. Like a well spoiled cat eyeing the canary he knew he would soon be feasting upon. "You deliver yourself into my hands when my son has just sworn loyalty to me in return that you are neither hunted nor harmed by Hell no more?"

Serena showed no surprise at his blatant boast. It was just as Cassiel had said. Darien had walked into the lion's den and had sacrificed his freedom to save her from him father. "I know the deal he has struck with you." She told him, careful to keep her voice steady and adamant. "I'm here to make you one better."

Darien's father raised an eyebrow while Darien tensed as if ready to recklessly spring into battle. His hand even twitched closer to the hilt of his sword. Serena knew her love, he ached to snatch her up and fight their way out to get her to safety. He'd risked so much protecting her this past week, now she'd do the same for him. She loved him, he was the only person left in her life and she'd do anything for him.

Even walk blindly into her destiny.

To say that Valac was amused beyond measure was an understatement. He looked like a child who was inches from getting everything he'd ever wanted. "And what is it that you think you can offer me that is greater than my only son standing beside me as I have wished for centuries?"

Serena raised her chin proudly, and stared boldly, straight into his eyes. She would show no fear or hesitation to the Demon King. All of Darien's warnings about his father were still ringing clearly in her ears. Any sign of weakness and he would take everything while giving her nothing in return. "Me."

A collective gasp echoed through the crowded room.

Serena ignored it and all the Demons at her back. "My loyalty. My service. I will choose Hell's side and for the next five thousand years Hell will be dominant on Earth. You will be far stronger than you have ever been."

Beside the Demon King, Darien's eyes grew wide in horror and he took an involuntary step forward, but Serena forced herself to keep her attention on the King. She couldn't afford to lose a singe step in the 'negotiations'.

Valac, Darien's father in blood only, considered her for a moment before he spoke, "And why would you do that? You have a pure heart, I can smell it from here." The words were consumed by disgust that lacked genuineness. "It stinks up by domain."

Serena smiled a catlike smile, carefully keeping her poker face in place. "It's not too hard to corrupt a pure heart. I've seen it myself."

"That is true." Valac agreed casually.

"Serena. Leave." Darien commanded icily through a low feral growl. "Now."

Serena blatantly ignored him. "Take me and in return I want your son's freedom from your service. I want him to go on his way and to never again be summoned by you or any you command."

This really seemed to intrigue the Demonic King. "You, the great and mighty Chosen, would give yourself to me for the freedom of a Demon prince?"

Serena looked sternly into the eyes of the Demon King and spoke without doubt, fear or hesitation, "A Demon prince is what you wish him to be but what he doesn't wish to be. He is more human than you could ever know."

"And humans are capable of evil far darker than us Demons." Valac pointed out with a meaningful offhandedness. "At least we have standards."

"I don't argue." Serena looked into Darien's furiously blazing eyes. "But your son has more humanity in him than every man I have ever known combined."

"Don't do this, Serena." Darien hissed, his eyes now desperate in their pleading.

"You saved my life." Serena replied softly. "I owe you a debt."

"So you do this, risk all humanity, to settle a debt?" Darien's father asked, with amused incredulity.

Serena looked directly into his eyes, without doubt or indecision. "Yes."

Valac considered her for another long moment before he sat back in his golden throne, a dark playful look in his black eyes. "And why should I deal with you? Why should I give up my only son for something that I can simply just take? There are no Angels here to protect you. What prevents me from ordering in my Demonic warriors and chaining you up?"

Serena wasn't the least bit phased by his unmistakable threat. "Tomorrow night at midnight I come of age. My powers come to me in little more than twenty-four hours. You may be able to chain me up, or even kill me -." Serena ignored Darien's loud snarl of murderous protest. "-but that doesn't give you what you want now does it?"

Darien was a moment from action, from taking her up in his arms and fighting his way out, when his sister stepped forward to address their father.

"She will be powerful, father." Rei stood tall and proud like the powerful regal Demoness princess that she was. "Too powerful for me to see but I have seen what lies ahead should she choose Hell's side." Rei looked down at her for a long silent moment, as if she could see right through her, before she returned her gaze to her father. "This world will be ours. And with it Heaven will fall."

Darien had had enough. He was gong to put an end to this madness. Leaving his father's side in the blink of a mortal eye, he was standing in front of Serena, putting himself between her and his father.

Barely able to keep control of himself, his need to take her from his father's presence was damn near choking him, Darien grasped hold of her shoulders and shook her. Where the Hell were her Angel guardians? Where were the Angels he had left her with? "What in the name of all Hell's condemned do you think you're doing?"

Serena's expression softened with what Darien could almost describe as . . . love – dare he to hope? "What I must."

Darien wanted to shake her harder, hard enough to bring her back to her senses which she had so obviously lost. "You do not know what you are doing. You do not know what will become of you if you do this."

Serena stared into his eyes, unwavering and trusting, while burning with immovable will. "And you know yourself?"

Darien wanted to scream with raging frustration. He wanted to kill something, preferably his father.

Valac watched the Chosen's face over his son's shoulder as they conversed and the reason for why the Chosen was offering herself to him became clear. She was in love with his son, just as his son loved her in return, and it suddenly became clear to him that he could have them both at a very inconsequential cost to him.

A plan quickly took form in his dark calculating mind.

Before Endymion could talk the Chosen out of her offering, Valac rose to his feet. "Very well." His authoritative voice echoed through the throne room. "I accept your offer, young Chosen. Endymion is free to go as he pleases and you shall take his place at my side as my Queen."

Darien froze as his heart lurched and froze solid at the very thought of his father touching Serena. It felt as if someone had stabbed a blade of ice straight through his beating heart.

"NO!" Darien roared as he instinctively reached for his blade sheathed at his hip but as he closed his hand around its hilt, he hesitated at pulling it free from its sheath. He had no chance against his father and his Legions of Demons. Pulling his blade now would only get them both killed.

Abandoning his blade, Darien turned to his father, his eyes fierce with blazing loathing and deadly warning. "You have already struck a deal with me. I hold you to it."

His father waved his hand in the air dismissively as if the deal he held with his son held no importance to him. "This in no way breaks my deal with you, Endymion. It only releases you of your obligations." A triumphant look spread across his evil face. "I have not hunted her, I have not harmed her and I have in no way swayed her. She has come to me of her own free will and has pledged service to me. She will never be harmed and she will never be hunted by my Legions."

Darien knew his father was right and just like that his plan became impossible. Anything he did against his father would leave Serena merciless against him or if Darien did manage to kill his father, his Demon Army.

Darien exhaled in defeat as he bowed his head and closed his eyes, his entire form slumping in defeat. His will, his hatred and drive, everything within him deflated like a popped balloon.

There was nothing left for him to do, no other choice. Serena had come here to give him back his freedom but had actually – and unintentionally – strengthened his father's hold over him. There would be no getting out his deal now.

At least he still had one card left to play. He could not save Serena from her deal with the devil, but he could still do something to protect her from his father's sadistic hands.

For the first time in his life, Darien truly wished with all his being that he had never been born, that he had never known Serena. Then she would not have been selling her soul to the devil in return for something as insignificant as his freedom.

"You say I am free," Darien raised his head and looked into his father's black eyes. "So hear this deal."

Valac laughed out loud, victoriously. It seemed that there was still more entertainment to come. Stepping back, he sat himself down on his throne, truly amused as he looked down upon his son and the Chosen. "Three deals in one evening. Surely Lucifer favours me this night."

Darien ignored him. "She stays. I stay." Each word from his lips was a vicious slice into his very soul. "But she is mine and mine alone. Any who touch her will die by my blade. And still I want your word that she'll never be harmed or both deals are broken!"

Events could not have been more perfect if they had been designed by Lucifer himself. True, the Chosen would not be under his direct command, and his lustful interest would have thrived to have had this Chosen in his bed, but she would be under Endymion's command. With his son at his command, conceding fleshly pleasures with the Chosen was a small price to pay to have them both under his command.

Endymion did not know it himself, but Valac knew his son had great power in him. Power Endymion feared and so left untouched, but in time with the proper encouragement, Endymion would become as powerful as he was. Endymion was also immune to the rules that bound the majority of powerful Demons, as human blood lingered in his Demonic veins, which made him all the more of a great and fearsome warrior.

And with the Chosen, the woman Endymion held dear to him, under his command and control, Endymion would never risk betraying him for fear of retribution upon her.

The Demon King could not believe his good fortune. He was getting them both with no price paid that was of importance to him. His son at his side with the chosen as his son's bride. Once this was done, it could not be undone. After tonight, they would both be under his command. His son at his side with the most powerful being outside of Heaven or Hell at his side. This could not be more perfect.

"Done." The word rang clearly in the huge room with finality.

All light and hope faded from Darien as he pulled his enchanted blade from its sheath. Without hesitation, he ran his hand along the blade of his sword until his blood filled his palm and he bowed before his father, laying his bloody palm flat to the floor.

It was a sign of loyalty, obedience and submission. The deal was sealed; a deal that could never be undone for it was bound by ancient Demonic power.

And before Darien could stop her, Serena had done the same, slicing her hand open on his blade and knelt beside him with her head bowed.

Darien felt, and truly was, trapped but he fought to keep his expression and eyes dispassionate. He had to be very careful of the moves he made this night. One false move and it would cost Serena dearly. His father had him now.

The Demon King was not blind, he had seen his love for the Chosen and now he knew of her devotion to him. As long as his father lived they were trapped beneath his command. He would not hesitate to use their love against the other in order to maintain complete control over them both.

Darien had only one choice left now. He had to kill his father. Whether he won or lost, Valac would die. But at least Serena would be safe and free.

Valac was so much stronger than him. His chance of actually killing his father was so small it was more or less impossible. His father was hundreds of thousands of years old and extremely powerful. He was Lucifer's favoured on Earth and that alone came with immense power.

But Darien had to try, he had to succeed. For Serena. For so long he had had nothing worth living for, not since his mother had been killed. But now he had something worth living for, something worth going to Hell for.

Without saying a word, Darien rose to his feet and pulled Serena to hers. He reached for her hand and healed her wound.

At the clearly affectionate display before him making him ill, Valac dismissed them, ordering them to retire for the night to rest for the coming events of the next.

At the command, Endymion swiftly led the Chosen from the room, holding her protectively and possessively close, throwing dark murderous glares at any Demon who came too close.

Once they were gone from his sight, Valac turned to his daughter, who stood tall beside him where Endymion had stood minutes before.

"I sense treachery."

Rei was still staring after her brother and the Chosen, a gleam in her eyes that Valac guessed was evil jealously.

For the past several minutes, Rei's mind had been turning while she had been careful to keep her fury and calculating from showing. Endymion's return had ruined her plans, but now that the Chosen had come, there was room to make others. She could not see the future so clearly because of the Chosen's yet-to-be chosen fate, but she was not about to let her father know that. Her power relied on her father's trust in her, at least for the time being.

"I do not." Rei answered her father, her tone carefully even. "It is love that I sense between them. There is nothing Endymion will not do for her and it seems that she too is willing to do almost anything for him. As long as you have one, you will always have the other. They have trapped themselves beneath your command. Only you can free them, but after tonight the most powerful force in this war will rightfully be yours."

Valac evil victorious laughter could be heard by even the Dark Guard standing motionlessly in the corridor beyond the closed doors.

* * *

The chamber his father had given him, only an hour before Serena had made her theatrical appearance, looked exactly like the one Darien had had when he had _visited_ his father centuries ago, well, all except for the sixty-or-so story view of Los Angeles beyond the floor to ceiling darkly tainted windows.

Everything, from floor to ceiling, was black polished wood draped, covered or layered with blood red silk or velvet, from the heavy carpets on the hard polished marble floor to the chairs to the enormous four poster bed complete with draping crimson red drapes hanging from the bedposts. Exquisite tapestries of Hell's glorious moments long passed hung from the walls, portraying images from white naked Angels burning in Hellfire, to the merciless slaughter of mortal armies.

The moment his father had been done with him, Darien had taken hold of Serena's arm and had hastily taken her to his chamber.

Closing the large double doors behind them, Darien turned the locks and sealed the chamber with a powerful shield. Only his father, and possibly his sister – he did not yet know her true power, most focused on her sight and not her Demonic power – had the power to break through such a shield before Darien could prepare to fight the intruder.

With the doors locked, the chamber shielded, Darien allowed himself to feel and face the truth of what had just happened. He rested his hands high on the door and leaned against it with a defeated sigh, bowing his head, finding himself unable to look at her in the current moment.

He had sacrificed himself to protect her and what had she done? She had walked right into the devil's den and handed herself over to the worst threat against her there was. She did not know – she could not possibly – know the terrible truth of what she had just done.

By handing himself back to his father, he was able to protect her to a certain extent but there were things, horrible terrible things, that there would not be a hope of protecting her from. He would have to be with her every second of every day to protect her from other Demons who seeked to gain her to further their power or to kill her to weaken the King and the Prince. Not to mention all the Demonesses who became envious of her or wanted the Demon prince's interest for themselves.

And then there were the creatures of Hell. Hellhounds, vampires – that were nothing like in the mortal fairytales – ghouls, changelings, harpies, incubi and whatever else clawed its way out of Hell. And that did not even include the armies of Angels that would now seek to destroy her because she had become the "Condemned" by choosing Hell's side.

There was a reason Reiizon was so protected. She was rarely away from their father's presence and never without his protection.

Damn it! This was not how it was meant to happen! The plan had been to sacrifice his freedom to his father to earn Serena's safety and then, when his chance presented itself, battle his father to the death.

And then go to his own death, either way.

Damn it all to Hell! Why had Serena come? By striking a deal with the Devil's hand on Earth she had undone everything he had put in place to protect her and in doing so she had trapped them both beneath that hand! He was not a complete asshole, he knew that this had not been her intention, but that did not change the fact that they were trapped now!

Darien could sense Serena standing still behind him, watching him. He could feel her gaze on his back. She was not fidgeting or showing any sign of frustration, there was no impatience radiating from her at all. It seemed that she was patiently giving him his moment to cool his head and deal with whatever he needed to deal with.

Heaven bless her, Serena did not belong trapped beneath the hands of his father, the Demon King on Earth. She did not belong in this Hell. In any Hell.

"You do not know what it is that you have done." Darien whispered, dejectedly, still unable to face her. Not because of what she had done, but because of the fate Darien knew she had just handed herself over too. "I cannot save you from this."

"I know what I've done and besides, I never asked you to." Serena told him, serenely, as she leisurely closed the distance between them. "I swore that I'd follow you for as long as I need you. I still need you." She gently laid her hand on his back. "But now you need me. I think you've always needed me."

Darien still could not look at her. He was too overcome with self-loathing and defeat. "Why? Why do you need me? Soon you will have more power than I ever could have."

Serena made a soft feminine sound that sounded as if she were being forced to answer a question that he should know the answer too. "How much power I'll have has nothing to do with my decision. Nor with the fact that you need me and that I love you."

Darien gasped. Momentarily forgetting their current predicament, he whirled around to face her to see love gleaming in her eyes, his own eyes as wide as saucers. "What did you say?" [You can keep it simple here, it's more than enough]

Without hesitation or doubt, Serena smiled and patiently repeated her words, "I love you, Darien. I think I've loved you from the moment I hit you with my baseball bat."

She loved him. Darien could not believe his ears; that this perfect loving creature loved _him_. This young woman, this divine creature of pure true heart, had fallen in love with him, a Demon prince with a tarnished blackened soul?

"This is the only way we can be together." Serena told him tenderly, oblivious to his speechlessness.

Serena had done this to be with him? Had she completely lost her ever-loving mind? He was not worth _this_! Nothing was worth _this_! "This is no life for you."

"Nor you." Serena told him without missing a beat and then her gaze softened with the warmth of love. "But I would rather live in darkness with you than to live in Heaven without you. This is my choice."

"A choice you made for me." Darien clarified.

"And a choice I would make again in a heartbeat."

Why the Hell did she have to sound so resolved when she said that? Her words had been meant right down into the depths of her pure untarnished soul.

Unable to help himself, nor his need to touch her, to hold her, Darien pulled her into his arms and held her too him.

She loved him. Serena loved him. It had been an improbable miracle that he had fallen in love with her – Demons were not capable of love, he should not have been capable of love, his mother not withstanding – but to have her fall in love with him, a half Demon, should have been beyond even the miracles of Heaven.

He would find a way to set her free. No matter what the price or what he had to do. Every battle he had ever fought, every opponent he had ever bested, had been in preparation for this, for the coming battle. He would need it all to kill his father and set her free.

It would mean his life, no matter what happened, but he was at peace with that. Serena was more than worth his life.

Serena had such a heart that had brought her to fall in love with him, a Demon. She reminded him so much of his mother, the only other woman to ever love him.

She was willing to live in evil and darkness to be with him.

Because she loved him.

As he loved her. He needed to save her from herself now. It was better that she live safe and free without him than to live in this dark Hellish world by his side. He would rather die than see the light within her fade against the evil of Hell.

His father had killed his mother, the only other person he had loved, but Valac was not going to take Serena. Not her life, not her light, nor would he corrupt her. She did not belong on Hell's side.

His father had to die. By his hand.

Not because of the crimes he had committed in the past, but so Serena could have a future free of the seducing and corrupting fire of Hell.

He would die even if he succeeded, but Darien did not care.

Darien tightened his hold on her, holding her tightly to him he closed his eyes. Finally, Darien knew peace. He would die knowing love, and not the love of a mother. He was free from the burdens of his past, of the darkness that had been born with him.

Finally, he was free and he would use his freedom to sacrifice his life for the woman he loved with all his dark heart.

Darien rested his head on the top of hers and closed his eyes, breathing in Serena's intoxicating scent.

Let him have this moment of Heaven so that he may face an eternity in the darkest depths of Hell.

* * *

Serena woke to the warmth of sunlight on her face in unfamiliar surroundings.

Sitting up on the enormous but unbelievably soft comfortable bed, Serena scanned her surroundings. Every surface was darkly and deeply coloured and tapestries depicting images of blood and Demons and fire hung from the walls.

And then it all came flooding back to her.

She was in Valac's fortress, the Demon King's domain, in Darien's chamber.

The chamber of the Demon Prince.

In the early hours of the morning, before the sun had risen, Serena could remember lying in Darien's arms on the bed where she must've finally fallen asleep. Although there'd been lustful desire there – there always was – they'd done nothing but hold each other.

Turning her gaze to the windows, Serena was met with a spectacular view of Los Angeles, the city spanning out endlessly. It was twilight, and since she had been awake to see the beginning of dawn it had to be dusk, and her stiff body told her that she'd been asleep for a while.

Tonight was the night she turned of age and gained the powers of her line, the powers of the Chosen.

Tonight was the night that their fate became cemented for the next five thousand years. Although she'd tried to set Darien free of his obligation to protect her, he'd only bound his fate more tightly to the darkness. It seemed that their fate was meant to be intertwined for a long time to come.

Just hours ago, Serena could remember declaring her love for Darien, but he hadn't said the words in return. This had risen doubt and insecurity within her, but something in his eyes – and in his overly protective actions – told her that he did care for her, regardless of whether he could say the words or not.

Pulling her gaze from the breath-taking view Serena found Darien standing at the windows in the corner by the bed, with his back to her, watching the sun set beyond the horizon. Less than a quarter of the sun remained on the viewable horizon – they were in the middle of the city of Los Angeles after all.

Serena didn't need to be told that Darien had been standing there for a while, he stood too tall, too motionless. She could almost sense that he was trapped in his own thoughts, held prisoner by tortuous thoughts he couldn't escape.

She wasn't blind and she wasn't a fool, she knew he suffered greatly because of her, because of her choice. She'd seen it in his eyes when she'd made the deal with his father. He wanted more and better things for her than this Hellish fate, just as she wanted more for him.

If only Darien could understand, as long as she was with him, Hell couldn't touch her. How could Hell corrupt a heart that was filled with powerful glowing love? As luring as evil was, it couldn't hold anything against the force of the love she held in her heart.

Rising from the bed, her feet bear against the cold hard surface of the floor, Serena walked soundlessly to him, coming to a stop a single step behind him. She wasn't fooled; he knew very well that she stood behind him even though she'd hardly made a sound.

"It's nearly time." Darien told her bleakly.

"It's what I was born for."

Serena watched as he bowed his head. It broke her heart that he was so defeated. She could remember so clearly how he'd fought for her over the past week. He'd been so confident and capable; he'd carried an air around him that screamed how unbeatable he was. He'd faced so many foes – many at once – and he'd prevailed.

Where was that confidence and strength now? Where was his unbreakable will? Where was the determination that had always driven him so fiercely?

"I believe there's still hope for us." Serena told him, needing to give him back some of the strength that he'd taught her over this last week.

Darien scoffed harshly. "Hope. Hell holds no hope for those bound to it."

Serena wanted to slap him around the head to snap him out of it, but even hunched over as he was she'd struggle to do the deed with enough force for him to even feel it. "You need to trust me, Darien. It's going to be alright."

"Damn it, Serena!" He whirled around on the spot to face her, his expression harsh and maddened as he finally snapped. "You speak of what you do not know! Hell takes the best of souls and tears them apart! Twists and tears them until there is only evil and lunacy!"

Serena bravely held her ground when her self preservation warned her to back away. He wouldn't hurt her; that she knew despite her mind's heedings.

She trusted her heart.

But heart or no, love or no, it seemed that they were going to have their first fight.

Serena opened her mouth to give a hot-headed reply, when a knock rapped on the door.

The change in Darien was instantaneous and severe. His eyes immediately hardened, his body tensed battle ready, and his sword appeared from thin air into his hand.

"Yes?" Darien called across the room and through the door with a tone that was in no way welcoming.

Serena felt a faint ripple of Darien's power and knew it was to carry his word through the doors.

"Brother." Came a loud and clear reply, carried too by unfamiliar Demonic power. "I come for the Chosen. She must be fitted for her dress for the ceremony."

Serena knew it was Darien's half sister Reiizon who stood on the other side of the doors, but she didn't know what ceremony the Demoness Princess was referring too.

"What ceremony?" Serena asked, turning her attention back to Darien.

Darien seemed really hesitant to answer. Clearly the answer was one he didn't want to give, as if the answer was something he was deeply ashamed of; she could see it in his eyes that he was at war with himself as to whether or not to answer. Eventually Serena saw it in his eyes that he had made a decision, again becoming overcome with defeat.

"A Demonic ceremony with two parts." Darien explained, his tone strained. "First is a form of wedding ceremony, the second is a form of magical bonding of minds. It's how Demons control their bonded Demonesses."

Serena eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Control? How?"

Darien made a sound deep in his throat that only a tormented male could make. "It's an ancient magical bond that will make you powerless to disobey any command given by the male bonded."

At first, Serena found herself shrinking away from such an idea. To be so completely controlled and helpless against another? To be magically forced to obey every command given, to be a slave, was something that Serena wanted to scream and fight against, but then she noticed the expression on Darien's face as he once against refused to even look at her.

Darien was no happier about this than she was. He took as much pleasure in the thought of controlling her so absolutely that she herself took in the thought of being so utterly helpless.

Darien would have the power to make her bow to his every whim, to do whatever he wanted her to do, to have her completely at his mercy, but the thought was just as appalling to him as it was to her. He didn't want to take away her free will, her freedom. Not when he himself knew how precious freedom was.

Serena sighed deeply, conceding.

Stepping forward, Serena raised her hand and cupped Darien's cheek gently in her hand and waited until he raised his gaze to meet hers. She willed her love and trust to fill her eyes as she tried to give him comfort from the love-driven will that raged inside of her.

"I trust you. I know you'd never misuse what you'll be given."

"Taken, not given."

Serena felt her heart soften. This man was no Demon; he didn't have a drop of evil or malevolence within him. "To you, it will be given."

"I'd never hurt you."

Serena smiled a genuine trusting and loving smile. "I know."

"Endymion!" Reiizon snapped irritably through the doors. "Send her out or I'll summon father!"

Darien's hand flew up to her hand that cupped his cheek so fast that to Serena the action was blurred, as his gaze once against became hard and fierce with the compulsion to protect her, and he took hold of her wrist. His action spoke louder than his words ever could have.

Darien didn't want her out of his sight; he didn't want her anywhere but with him where he could protect her.

The thought of leaving him in present company was like cutting her heart out with a blunt butter knife, but she wasn't about to put Darien in any more danger than she already had.

"You know your father won't hurt me." Serena told him, trying to reassure him that she would be alright. "I'm his weapon. Besides if he harms me, or if any he commands harms me, the deal binding you is broken. Valac will not risk losing what he has coveted for so long that he has only just gotten back."

Still, Darien hesitated to release her.

"Soon I'll be yours, Darien. Even in this Demonic world, I will be yours." Serena rotated her hand that rest on his cheek, wrapped her fingers around his larger hand and brought it to her lips, planting a kiss on the back of his hand. Then she looked up into his eyes. "I won't be gone long. I promise."

Slowly, reluctantly, Darien released his hold on her wrist but didn't so much as blink as he stared back into her eyes. "This is the last thing I wanted for you."

"Being with you," Serena whispered tenderly. "Is the only thing I want."

Something, that looked suspiciously like tentative doubt flashed in his eyes like a solar flare.

* * *

Serena considered herself a reasonably tolerant person, especially when it came to children, the elderly, her friends and Darien, but Reiizon was trying her waring patience.

And Reiizon was doing so purposefully.

For well over two hours – yes, TWO hours – Serena had endured her _dress fitting_! For two hours she'd stood on the pedestal, surrounded by full length mirrors, while soulless slaves – one of which Serena recognised as the woman who'd escorted her into the building – had fitted the gown she'd be wearing to her _'wedding'_ and she was dangerously close to her wits end.

To top it all off, a blushing bride in white she wouldn't be.

Made from very extravagant smooth black silk and velvet, with blood red trimming, it gave flattery to every curve of her body without revealing too much, although the v neck went way too deep. The material hugged her upper body while flowed from her hips to the floor and from her elbows almost touching the floor.

The gown was fit for the bride of a Demon prince.

Too bad she wasn't marrying one.

In comparison to Reiizon's tight, revealing gown, Serena considered herself lucky. At least she could breath and she wasn't revealing far more than would've been seen in the average strip club.

Reiizon had spent the first hour explaining the ceremony to her – in detail.

It seemed that Darien had left quite a lot out.

For instance, Darien hadn't mentioned anything about having to drink each other's blood or that the magical bond was so powerful that Darien would be able to read her thoughts – while barring her from reading a singe thought of his – and control her with a mere thought of his own from hundreds of miles away.

Serena was staring to have doubts about what she'd gotten herself into.

At the end of the second hour, Serena found herself ready to explode.

The fitting could've been over in seconds – she could feel it that Reiizon had more than enough power to magic her gown into existence – but it seemed that the royal Demoness wanted to drag this out as long as possible.

Serena did not like Reiizon.

"You can't see me, can you?" Serena asked Reiizon, the thought striking her out of the blue.

Reiizon blinked, as if snapping from her thoughts, before she looked up into her eyes – for the first time.

Serena could see it in Reiizon's blood red eyes, Reiizon knew exactly what she'd meant. She had the pleasure of seeing a tick twitch in Reiizon's clinched jaw.

Clearly the Demon princess didn't like that there were holes in her most powerful ability.

Serena could do nothing to prevent the cheeky grin spreading across her lips. "My power will be beyond yours." Serena goaded her. "I wonder if I'll have the power of sight, just like you."

The look on Reiizon's face was down right thunderous, as she struggled in vain to hide it.

"I wonder, with two Seers under your daddy's command, which will be his favoured?" Serena wondered offhandedly out loud, taunting the Demonic princess. "I mean, it's not likely, with my power, that I'll have blind spots, is it?"

Clearly, Reiizon was not accustomed to being ridiculed.

Serena could feel the Demoness's rising dark power prickling in the air. Hell, it was practically causing angry red sparks around them, but Serena found that she wasn't afraid of the Demoness.

Reiizon wouldn't do anything to her as long as her father, the Demon King, wished her safe.

Serena was curious – and more than a little tempted – to find out how far she could push the princess who'd kept her unnecessarily parted from Darien for so long.

"Hey, when Darien becomes King will that make me Queen?" Serena was fighting to keep an innocently straight face. "I'll hold rule over you, won't I? I mean a Queen is higher than a Princess, right?"

And when Reiizon clinched her darkly glowing fists, Serena decided that she'd pushed the Princess as far as she dared in one day. Still, the small revenge had felt more than a little satisfying.

"Oh well." Serena dismissed every taunt she had just said as she jumped down from the pedestal and turned to one of the slaves. "Please take me back to Dari-I mean Endymion's room."

As Serena stepped from the room, she heard what sounded suspiciously like mirrors shattering violently.

* * *

"THAT LITTLE MORTAL BITCH!" Rei screeched in fury as she magically willed a three thousand year old Greek vase to lift from its pedestal and fly across the room until it shattered violently against the opposite wall.

Dagon watched, with casual disinterest, as the Demon Princess fumed. She had entered her chambers, where he had been waiting, in a raging fury that only a Demoness could sustain.

"HOW DARE SHE? SHE'LL PAY FOR HER INSOLENCE WITH LIFE'S BLOOD!"

This time a priceless two thousand year old painting went flying across the room, consumed by flames. It was ashes before it even hit the wall.

"I'LL SHOW HER WHO WILL HAVE RULE OVER WHO!"

The bed magically exploded into kindling without warning.

Few knew it, but the princess had power and unexpected skill with a blade, skill she had gained from watching the best of Demon warrior's battle around her. No one had noticed how she had watched as they'd trained.

She was almost a challenge to Dagon himself.

"SHE PRACTICALLY FLAUNTED THE FACT THAT I CAN'T SEE HER!"

Two tapestries erupted into flames.

Ah. Hellfire. There would be no salvaging those tapestries. Her father was not going to like that. One of the King's pass times was collecting art and treasure and such, which glorified his Demonic reign as king. Several pieces of that collection – fortunately not highly prized pieces – resided in the Princess's chamber.

"Are you going to persist in destroying your chamber," Dagon spoke casually, sounding bored. "Or are you going to do something about it?" He waited until Reiizon turned her attention to him before he went on. "Now that Endymion has returned, we cannot complete our plans."

It took another minute, but eventually the Princess with the temper of Hellfire itself seemed to regain control over herself.

"And now Endymion will have the Chosen at his command." Dagon pointed out, knowing it was a major problem. "With her power, there will be no one who could touch him."

His words seemed to spark thought in the Princess's mind, as her mind visibly began to race as if an idea formed rapidly in the beauty's head.

"Endymion will be more powerful than ever before," Rei mumbled, more to herself than to him, "But he has betrayed a fatal weakness he has never had before." She looked up into his face. "Endymion has fallen in love with the Chosen. This drives him as greatly as it weakens him."

Dagon had not failed to notice this.

"For centuries Endymion has waited for his chance to claim our father's life, but he's been too much of a coward to attempt it." An evil anticipating grin spread across her features. "Until now. With the power of the Chosen and his will to see her free, he will raise his sword against our father, and he may just succeed in finally ending him."

The idea did not displease Dagon, but it did still leave a problem. "But that still leaves us with Endymion, who will more than likely be crowned King rather than slain. The Chosen under his command will guarantee it."

"Not if the Chosen is slain afterwards." Rei grinned with triumph, practically purring with delight. "She will be powerful, but young and inexperienced with her power. It takes centuries for those of the Chosen line to gain full control over their power. They need to build the know-how and mental skill to control it."

Dagon considered the idea for a long moment. "It could work, but we would have to get her on her own, take her by surprise."

"Yes, but firstly, we need to give Endymion his chance." Rei was practically glowing with pleasure; her other plans had been long shots at best, but this one had real potential.

At last, her time was coming. Soon she would be High Queen over the entire Demon World, and with her power, it would only be a matter of months before all of Hell on Earth saw her true power and knelt before her, prepared to serve her as their rightful master. And then it would not be long before the Mortal World fell too.

And after the Mortal World, Heaven would soon follow. She would rule it all.

Reiizon glanced at Dagon out of the corner of her eye with deadly intent.

And she would rule alone.

* * *

So arrogant Reiizon had become that she had become stupid and careless, she had not even raised a shield in her enraged state to conceal her plotting behind.

This had not surprised Darien. He had wandered the halls, ears dropping on any and all he was able, when he had noticed Dagon sneak into what he knew was Reiizon's chamber. Curious, he had hidden himself in the shadows by her door and had raised his cloaking shields around him. Well shielded he had then been able to open a tiny portal into the Princess's chambers so that he was able to see and hear all that was said within.

Darien had spent centuries perfecting his cloaking abilities, and so he was now able to watch and listen through the wall without the chance of them discovering him.

Only minutes passed before Reiizon had entered, fuming with the fury of Hell itself.

Darien was not all together surprised that Reiizon had been, and still was, plotting against her own father for her own advantage.

He had heard every word, including her deadly intentions towards Serena, which he would never allow.

Reiizon put too much reliance on her sight, it had made her foolish, and ironically, blind towards many things.

Such as the fact that they had not been alone.

Darien had seen the lust in Reiizon's eyes that she had used to cloak her traitorous intentions towards her _partner_ and deemed that he had heard all he was going to.

His sister would not be able to see what was coming, what he had been planning while Serena had been _enjoying_ her fitting. He had been watching every second; he had not let her out of his sight – his mind's sight – for even a moment.

Many things had passed through his mind in the past two hours as he had done some plotting and planning of his own. He had also learned things, things such as because of Serena and their intertwined fates, Reiizon could not see what was coming, what he was plotting.

That decreased the threat Reiizon posed significantly and made it easier to use her.

However, all his plans did revolve around one thing – Serena possessing an immediate more abled control over the power she would inherit at midnight than Reiizon anticipated. He had witnessed Serena use her power before she had even known that she'd had it. She had saved their lives; he had to hope that she could do so again at midnight.

Darien had decided not to risk biding his time for his chance to face his father, the longer Serena was in Demonic hands, the greater the danger became for her. He had to get her out of there, tonight. He would need Serena's help once she inherited her power.

At first, Darien had only planned on killing his father – and anyone else who stood in his way of getting Serena out of there – but now, if he was able, Reiizon and Dagon had been added to the list.

He could not ignore their threat against Serena's life. He in no way liked the idea of killing Reiizon – Demon or not, killing a female went against the grain and she was his half sister – but he had no choice.

Not since Reiizon had made hers.

Serena was all that mattered to him, and he would do whatever it took to save her from the situation they had trapped themselves within.

Serena would live, even though he would not.

* * *

Darien had never liked his official dress tuxedo, the uniform of the Demonic Prince, that he now wore as he stood upon his father's dais – the throne had been removed – waiting for the ceremony to begin. A black tuxedo with blood red trimming and a white dress shirt beneath, not unusual for the Mortal World, however the cape – black on the outside, matching blood red on the inside – that hung from his shoulders was not so ordinary.

Darien missed the weight of his enchanted blade at his hip, especially with the air so thick with icy Demonic power that he could see sparking in the air around him with his Demonic eyes. His skin prickled, the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, and his instincts and senses screamed at him to run. The most powerful and important Demons from across the Earth had been summoned here tonight to witness the marriage of their Demon Prince to the next Chosen.

An event that had never before occurred in recorded history – Mortal, Demonic or Angel history.

Darien had never felt so torn in all his immortal life. He had sold his soul to the devil to bring this about, to bring about Serena being named his, but never had she been asked if this was what she wanted. She was practically being forced to marry him whether she willed it or not and there was not one part of him that wanted to force Serena into anything she did not choose willingly.

But it was the only way to protect her. As his wife – or as referred to in the Demon world, 'his female' – she would be protected, not just by him and his father, but by all his father's commanded. There would be those who would seek to take her life, but his and Valac's protection, would be enough to keep her safe.

Even from Reiizon and Dagon.

But that was only if Darien let pass his chance to kill his father, and that was something he would not do. He would not live this life, he would not risk being seduced by the evil darkness that his father had dragged him into. It had been his greatest fear ever since he had learned what he truly was as a boy, second only to the fear of losing his mother, which he had.

He had spent so many centuries running from this, from who he was; now he was being forced to face it. Now that he had the chance, Darien could not let his father live; could not let his father corrupt the young woman – not even a child in his world – he loved with all his heart.

Serena did not know it, of that Darien was certain. He would have seen it in her eyes or heard it screamed from her lips. Serena had given herself to the devil on Earth, and she had confessed to love him, the last thing she would want from him was his death.

He was sorry that he would be forced to leave her, but she would live on. She would be safe and she would follow her destiny. The best he could ever hope for was that one day – after her long life – he caught a glimpse of her on the clouds of Heaven from where he burned in the everlasting fires of Hell.

With that grim thought, Darien raised his head and turned his attention back to what lay around him, ignoring the powerful crowd of Demons around him.

Darien stood at the doors, waiting for them to open and for Serena to step into the room. Then he would be expected to take her hand and they would walk down the isle to the dais on the other side of the room where the Dark Demonic Priest waited for them, ready to perform the ceremony.

It was nearly midnight, only minutes remained.

His father had timed the ceremony perfectly; Serena would be named his bride and the bond formed between them moments before midnight when she received her power.

The dark ceremony Valac had chosen to marry them was the – roughly translated from the ancient Demonic language – Submission Bonding Ceremony. It was used to wed powerful females to their Demonic husbands. It was rarely preformed, reserved mainly for high powered Demonesses so their Demonic husbands could control them.

It meant that Darien would always know where Serena was and always be able to read her power, and her thoughts, so he could monitor what she did with her powers. It also meant that he would be able to manipulate her and her powers as if they were his own.

Not that Darien ever would.

He would die first.

* * *

Serena didn't fail to notice that Reiizon had done her best to outshine the bride.

She stood in the corridor – she still hadn't seen the Dark Guards lining the corridor so much as blink – in the wedding gown that had been fitted to her hours before, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Apparently she wouldn't be so much as walking down the isle as presenting herself to the Demonic community – translation: she was giving the Demons a chance to get a good look at her.

Reiizon stood beside her, only half a step in front of her – most likely to demonstrate her superiority over her – dressed, as the expression went, to kill in a blood red silk gown that practically made her breasts seem to want to pop right out of the tight bust with a v neck deeper than her own. The gown caressed the floor and a slit ran down one side from her waist to the floor and there wasn't a back to the dress, at least not until the g-string region.

Hadn't the Demonic princess ever heard of leaving _something_ to the imagination?

Serena was extremely grateful that her gown was so much more modest. She'd even been tempted after first spotting the princess's gown to see if she could use some of her own power to create herself a better gown – or superglue a snow parka to Reiizon's shoulders.

Reiizon's mood was as furious as her gown; clearly she was still fuming at her for mouthing off, the power and fury radiated from her like heat from the sun.

Reiizon had yet to say a single word to her and Serena wasn't complaining.

What she really wanted was for it to begin, now that she was parted from Darien and everything had stopped moving, doubts, fears and uncertainties began to worm their way through her resolve.

What if her plan didn't work? It wasn't as if she'd had a long time to figure it out, she was pretty much making it up as she went along.

"My, my, how gorgeous you girls are."

Serena was snatched from her thoughts by the familiar voice behind her. She whirled around to see Darien's father, Valac standing behind her, looking at her admiringly, in a way that was really inappropriate for a future father in law.

In truth, Darien looked a lot like his father. The same thick black hair and shape of his face, not to mention body build and handsome features – although Valac's were those of a man in early thirties. He was dressed in black and golden tuxedo encrusted with sparkling precious gems and stones. A long golden silk cape flowed from his shoulders that seemed to shimmer in the light of the torches on the walls.

And on his head sat a large solid golden crown – no, she wasn't kidding – encrusted with black diamonds and blood red flawless rubies.

It was the crown of a very wealthy king who had a fondness for flaunting the fact.

"Father." Reiizon greeted, bowing slightly to him respectfully.

Valac didn't even spare his daughter a glance. "Give us a moment, will you my dear?"

Reiizon's growl was so pronounced that Serena could practically feel it vibrating through her body.

"Yes, father." Reiizon said tautly before she turned and left them alone, stalking away like a child being denied the privilege of throwing a tantrum.

Hm. It seemed that daddy's little girl didn't like the competition.

First Serena had been left alone with Reiizon, and now Valac. She didn't know who to regard as the one more dangerous to her.

Reiizon hated her guts – it was as clear as the nose on her face from the very first moment they'd met – but she feared and obeyed her father, she wouldn't risk her favour with her father by harming her brother's bride.

Whereas Valac was under no ones command. Serena knew he wouldn't hesitate to raise his hand to her – he just had that air about him as he had absolutely no respect for the females of any species – because she was the instrument in which he could use to control – or beat – his son with. And Valac relished in having a weapon to use against his son, something he hadn't had since the day Darien's mother had died.

Not to mention the power she would bring to him and Darien.

Valac leisurely looked her up and down. "I am forced to admit that for the first time since I rose from Hell and became king, there is envy within me." He raised his gaze to her eyes, the lust clearly displayed in the soulless black depths. "I envy my own son, for it shall be in his bed you will lay from this night. Pleasing him with that-." He looked her up and down again. "- luscious virgin body."

Serena stiffened at his words. She was about to marry his son, would he risk everything to have his way with her before hand? Until midnight, she had no chance against his awesome power, but Serena found herself reaching for her own power regardless. Her chances of actually being able to use it against him were near none-existent, but maybe she could use it to somehow alert Darien to remind his father of their deal.

Forcing strength into her eyes to cover her fear, Serena straightened and glared into his black eyes. "And he shall be the only one. Touch me once and the deal with your son is broken."

The playfulness left his eyes and anger rose at her blatant defiance. "Take warning from this, girl. Chosen or not, I am King and you will regard me as such. I gave my oath that you will not be harmed by my hand or that of any I command, but there are others ways to cause pain to a female heart." He closed the distance between them until he was looming over her.

Serena fought to keep her fear from her eyes but she knew that it was a battle she was losing. "There may be, but you won't risk them. You won't risk Darien's fury."

At her words, something flashed in the King's eyes, something he hastened to hide but too late, Serena easily identified the flash of emotion.

"Whether you admit it or not, you fear your son." Serena stood as bravely as she could against him, but her voice was but a hissing whisper. "You trained him well, didn't you? Well enough to be a threat to you, and he has the will to kill you, all you need to do is give him a reason."

Valac was furious at her daring tongue, but Serena saw the truth in his dark eyes. He was a being who had lived long; he knew how to control himself. He wouldn't still be King if he wasn't clever and able to control himself, but he still felt fear, fear of his son.

Without warning, Valac's gaze cooled, calmed, and almost become admiring. He raised his hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, like a lover's caress.

"Such spirit, such strength. I can see why my son is so enthralled by you. I can only hope that it is passed onto the sons you will give him. A male child with your power and will would be unstoppable, unbeatable."

For a brief moment, Serena feared that he was going to force a kiss upon her, but after a moment, Valac lowered his hand and stepped away from her.

Relief flooded her.

"You may just have the strength to survive in this world after all." He complimented her, his tone thoughtful. "Your beauty and strength will make you a great Queen some day. Just as Darien's mother could have been, had she taken my offer."

Serena froze at the mention of the mother Darien had loved so much that he had carried the pain of her death through centuries. "You asked Darien's mother to marry you?"

Valac nodded indifferently, as if they were merely engaging in causal conversation about the weather rather than the woman he'd murdered in cold blood; the very same woman who had given him a son. "She was a lot like you, Serena. Beautiful, strong willed. Had a spirited tongue. Too bad she had such a pure heart that she refused to compromise. On her last night on this earth, I offered to spare her life if she would accept immortality and take the place by my side." He shrugged offhandedly. "She interested me well enough and she had sway over Endymion that for some reason I could not obtain. I gave her the choice, death or marriage."

Valac chuckled, as if recalling an amusing memory. "She told me she did not fear death and that she would never betray her faith. She even had the gall to announce that her son would never be mine." He looked into Serena's eyes, allowing her to see the truth of his words in his eyes. "I intended to take her soul, but she somehow discovered my intention before I could act. She took up a blade and ran herself through. Her intention that of sending her soul onwards before I could claim it."

Valac's expression darkened with anger from the memory. "But the silly female missed her heart. Her soul would have been mine if it had not been for that blasted Angel, Cassiel."

Serena blinked, astounded. Cassiel had interfered to save the soul of Darien's mother? Did Darien know?

"He ordered us away and to leave her be." Valac's tone took up an angry growl. "I would have ripped his wings from him had he not called in his brothers to outnumber us. Cowardly Angels." He spat in disgust. "He did not heal her though, he let her die. He just helped her live long enough until Endymion arrived to say his last goodbye."

There was no way in Hell Darien knew of Cassiel's interference the day his mother had died. Serena knew that Darien felt no anger towards Cassiel, but if he'd known, he would have.

Serena opened her mouth to call him the meanest word she had in her vocabulary, but before she could voice her fury, Valac turned his attention to the doors and grinned evilly.

"It's time."

Serena didn't need to ask what it was time for.

Drawing in a deep breath, Serena stored her newly acquired knowledge for a more appropriate time and sent a silent prayer to the Heavens asking for the strength and courage she needed to carry out her plan.

* * *

Of all the things Serena had dreamed of and had expected of her wedding day, not one of them had been anywhere near this.

Like all other little girls, she'd dreamed of the perfect wedding. A wedding fit for a princess – clarification: a human princess. A fluffy white wedding gown that made her look like a princess, white and pink flowers – roses and lilies – all around, her family and friends smiling around her and the sun shining in the summer sky above. She'd always wanted to be married outdoors.

And her husband-to-be in her dreams had always been a faceless prince charming so deeply in love with her that it bordered on obsessive.

Instead it was minutes before midnight in front of an army of powerful Demons, not one of them friend or family. There were torches instead of flowers, her gown was black and blood red instead of white and she was about to become the princess – and future queen – of the Demon World on Earth.

At least she had what she'd never known she'd wanted in a husband-to-be.

As she stepped through the open doorway, Serena found him waiting for her with his hand outstretched, silently asking for her own. Bringing her hand up to rest in Darien's, his fingers wrapped around her hand, and Serena marvelled at how right it felt.

She loved him. It didn't matter that he was a Demon prince or that they were now trapped inside such a dark and evil world, as long as he was with her, it was worth any hardship.

Darien was her spark of hope in the darkness. He loved her; she knew it as sure as she knew that she would inherit the powers of her line this night. He was strong and kind and protective to no end. He was brave and selfless and clever. He'd always be loyal and devoted to her. He'd give his life to keep her safe.

How could she not love him? In his eyes the night before, Serena had seen disbelief and self-loathing when she'd told him that she loved him. He didn't believe that he was worthy of her, of love, but like his own mother Serena knew he was wrong.

Darien had his mother's strength; Serena had never met the brave woman who'd given birth to him, but she could see it in Darien. His mother had tried so hard to teach him compassion, to give him as much humanity as she could, and she'd succeeded. She'd made Darien a better man than any to have ever before graced the Earth or Heaven.

It was Darien that still even now, gave her the strength to face what lay ahead of her, face what and who she truly was. Under his protection and guidance she'd come to accept every part of her heart, of herself.

All of her life, Serena had known deep down that she'd been born for more than the life she was living and now she knew the life she'd been born to live was the life her mother had lived. This was how she could know her mother, know the woman who'd loved her, who'd died giving birth to her.

Serena looked deeply into Darien's eyes, seeing his love for her there. He didn't want her to be there but there was a part of him that rejoiced that she'd soon be his wife.

It still astounded Serena how quickly and how deeply she'd fallen for him in a single week.

"Say the word," He whispered so softly that Serena could barely hear him, "And I will get you out of here."

Darien meant the words right down into his soul. It would cost him his life, but he would be able to get her out of there. It would be up to her to get herself back to the Angels, but she would at least have the chance.

At his words, Darien watched Serena's eyes soften with her love for him.

"I'd never even think of leaving you."

As much as her words delighted a part of him, they also made him sorrowful. What life could he give her that was not filled with evil and darkness? She was a fool for staying with him just as he was a fool for not leaving her.

He would never have the strength to leave her, but maybe, just maybe, he would have the strength to let her go if she ever did decide to leave him.

"There is no going back from this." He told her, solemnly.

Serena's answering smile was filled with love, sadness and decision. "There never was."

"This is not the world for you." He persisted, needing to give it one more shot.

"Nor you."

Stubborn, stubborn Serena. It could never be said that he had not tried to save her from herself.

Serena took a single step forward, bringing herself to Darien's side. Where she was meant to be.

"You are beautiful."

Serena laughed gently, despite everything, her doubts washing away. This was her path, whether her plan worked or not, this was her choice.

Darien was her choice.

Later, history might scold her for choosing her heart over her duty and risking all of humanity in her foolish plan, but she couldn't do anything else. She loved him; she wasn't strong enough to choose her destiny over him.

She wasn't strong enough to go against her heart. Maybe it made her foolish and selfish, but it was the way things were now. Darien had nearly died saving her life, he had fought to protect her, and had given up his freedom and everything else for her, the least she could do is take a risk on him.

"And you . . ." Serena looked him up and down. He wore a black suit with a blood red cape hanging from his shoulders. ". . . have never looked more ridiculous. At least not in the last week anyway."

Unable to help himself, Darien found a genuine grin touching his lips and he looked down at her with a playful reply on his tongue.

"Alright, enough of this!" Came an angry hiss from behind them.

Darien tensed, shifting closer to Serena protectively as Reiizon stepped up behind him, impatience on her perfect face.

"Enough stalling." Reiizon hissed irately. "Get moving!"

Darien glared at her icily, warning her to keep her distance from Serena. He had not trusted Reiizon – well, ever – but now that he knew of her murderous plans, he was not going to let her anywhere near Serena.

Serena sensed malevolence stir around her in response to Darien's deadly glare. The Demons around them just seemed to be waiting for just cause to attack them; even the Dark Guard in the hallway seemed to react – even though they still remained as still as death. Serena could sense their complete attention on them and their anticipation to attack.

Serena wasn't going to let that happen.

Darien would die defending her.

"Don't." Serena begged him softly, imploringly.

Darien looked down at the tiny woman in his arms, staring up at him beseechingly, begging him to step back and leave it be.

Within, Darien's emotions warred. Half of him wanted to fight to defend, to put an end to it all now, while the other half argued that if he did, the threat to Serena would only become greater. She wanted him to back down, to avoid a battle that he would surely lose.

And when he did lose, he would leave Serena alone, defenceless and unprotected against the most powerful Demons on Earth.

For her, he would wait, bide his time until the chance to kill his father presented itself.

Darien's rigid battle ready stance relaxed and he took a withdrawing step back and Serena released the breath she'd been holding in a huff as relief flooded through her, easing her fear and anxiety. He had done as she asked, which had somewhat surprised her. Doing what he had too to protect her he had always done, but heeding her words in such a situation was something else altogether.

"Come," Serena urged beseechingly, "marry me."

Casting one last icy glare at his half sister, Darien turned his back to her and led Serena down the isle, with every pair of eyes in the room watching them.

"Didn't you ever learn to pick your battles?" Serena asked him out of the corner of her mouth, keeping her voice as low as possible.

Darien tightened his hold on her hand ever so slightly, mindful of his much greater strength. "Every battle concerning you is my battle."

"Soon I'll be able to handle my own battles." Serena reminded him.

"Power or no, every one of your battles will be from this day, mine to fight." He answered in a hard resolved tone without taking so much as a glance at her. His eyes were too preoccupied with the Demons around them.

It was like banging her head against a brick wall.

Reaching the dais, where the Dark Priest waited, Darien lowered to his knees, pulling Serena gently down with him.

It was time for the ceremony to begin. Darien felt so conflicted that it was overwhelming. He did not want Serena to marry him against her will, and she was being forced into doing this, but at the same time, in a matter of moments, Serena would forever more be his. His mate, his wife. His love. True, she had confessed to loving him, but that did not mean that she wanted to marry him.

Did she want to marry him or was she doing this because she had no other choice? Did she truly understand what this ceremony would mean, that it was for always? He would never abuse or misuse the power of her that he was about to get, but it would always be there between them.

Darien looked down at her, not caring what the Dark Priest could see in his eyes. Serena was beautiful and sweet and in uncountable ways, innocent and unfit for this world of darkness and evil. She was light and love. This was not the side on which she belonged.

Hell, she did not belong in the Supernatural World to begin with. Yes, she had the strength, will and courage of her mother. She could survive in the Immortal World, but she deserved so much more than the life of a Chosen. She deserved a life free of the horrors and burdens of war, she deserved to live in the light with a mortal man worthy of her and have children laughing around her.

Darien bowed his head, tearing his gaze from her to the floor at his knees. She deserved so much more than him and this life.

The dark priest stepped forward, his ancient leather bound tome held open in his hands which smelt of age and evil, and he began to read from the pages in the ancient Demonic language.

Out of the corner of his eye, Darien saw his father, Reiizon and Dagon standing behind him, standing just off to the side, watching with dark glee.

They thought they had won, but they would learn otherwise soon enough.

Darien's hand itched for his blade to wipe their grins from their faces.

The Dark Priest closed the tome and handed it off to a soulless mortal slave, who holding it high in his arms, stepped back and stood motionless off to the side.

"And by the will of Hell and Lucifer's Law, let it be that this female be forevermore that of Prince Endymion, son of Valac, his to rule, command and possess." The Dark Priest announced clearly in English, abandoning the gibberish that was, Serena assumed, a Demon language. "Let his will be her command, let her power be his to yield. Let her body to his to claim."

Every ounce of the feminist training she'd received all her life screamed at her to tell the Dark Priest where he could stick his Bonding Ceremony, but she forced herself to hold her tongue. Soon enough, if all went to plan, she would ram the words right back down his – and Valac's – throat.

A goblet, made completely of glass – or more likely, crystal – appeared from thin air, floating above the dark priest's open palm, the liquid filling it was thick and black.

Serena really didn't want to know what the liquid was.

The Dark Priest closed his eyes and waved his hand over it mystically, chanting words in the Demon language again, until finally he opened his eyes and once again spoke in a language – the only language – Serena could understand.

"With the adding and drinking of blood, let it be done, never to be undone." The Dark Priest lowered the goblet to Darien, impatience on his evil pale face.

Without saying a word, or even looking at her, Serena watched as Darien summoned a jewel encrusted dagger to his hand, one that Serena could sense wasn't enchanted, and without so much as a wince of pain, he sliced open his palm.

As blood filled his palm for the second time in two days, Darien raised his hand over the goblet and allowed his blood to drip into the black liquid.

The instant the first drop of blood hit the surface of the black liquid, Serena sensed dark power radiate from the goblet, from the liquid itself. Although, visibly, the liquid gave no change or reaction, Serena could sense dark ancient and great power emitting from the liquid.

The power was evil and startled Serena's already frayed senses into a frenzy, warning her away from the liquid with a vehemence.

With an indescribable sense of dread, Serena realised that she was going to have to drink it.

She would've rather drank battery acid.

Before Serena's eyes, the wound on Darien's hand healed and all trace of blood disappeared. Darien then took the goblet from the Dark Priest and held it out to her in both hands, the look in his eyes was heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry." Darien whispered desolately.

"I know." Serena whispered and she took the goblet form his hands. It buzzed and vibrated beneath her touch. The goblet's contents were cold, evil and wrong.

With everything within her shouting at her not to do it, Serena raised the goblet to her lips and drank, knowing even as she did that Darien would have power over her to make her do anything he wished, but she trusted him with all her heart.

He'd never betray her trust.

To say that the black liquid tasted putrid was a kindness. As the liquid had been odourless, Serena hadn't been prepared for the revolting taste, it took all of her self control not to spit it out, but for Darien she swallowed the liquid that tasted like rotting flesh and evil personified.

"And so your everlasting time of servitude begins, Female."

The Dark Priest's voice echoed from somewhere above her, but Serena suddenly couldn't find it in her to focus. The moment the liquid had hit her stomach, dark power had exploded through her body, taking hold of her and sinking its teeth into every cell of her body.

Serena released her hold on the goblet and doubled over in pain, crying out in agony while thankful that she was already on her knees.

"I, in the name of our Lord Lucifer, forevermore bind you to darkness and to each other."

Never had Serena felt anything like it, anything so evil or all-consuming. It almost felt like an evil force had dug its way inside of her and was now clawing her soul apart from the inside out.

"Don't touch her!" Shouted a commanding voice that Serena identified as Valac's.

Serena knew without any evidence that Valac had been addressing Darien.

Tears of agony filled her eyes, blinding her. Darien. Darien was beside her, feeling pain – the emotionally kind – at her physical pain. She could practically feel his distress and anguish as her own.

Darien was suffering with her.

No! Serena closed here eyes and held her lips together stubbornly. It would pass and she'd endure it in silence. She wouldn't let Darien get into a fight before their wedding ceremony was even over.

The icy claw within her insides like agonizing icy water, testing her resolve to keep her lips tightly clinched so that Darien would be spared her pain. From the top of her head to the tips of her toes it spread in the matter of seconds, not one part of her body was spared the agony.

Serena knew what it meant. She knew that is was the evil claiming her body so that it could bend her to Darien's will, but Darien was not his fathers son. Valac thought that she would be his to command because she was Darien's to command, but what Valac did not know what that Darien would never use this against her. At least not for his own takings. There was no doubt in her mind that in the future to come there would be times he would use it to save her life, such as using his command over her very body to get her to jump out of the way of an attack or something.

But he would always apologize for it. Hell, he'd asked her before he'd even touched her ankle, not with words, but he had asked all the same.

And then it was over, as quickly as it had ignited within her, it was gone. The pain, the icy clawing power, it was all gone.

Serena slumped in relief and exhaustion.

"Serena?" Come Darien's frantically worried voice, as she felt his hands come to rest tentatively on her back.

"I'm fine." Serena assured him as her breathing slowed.

She was his now. They were married and she was bonded to him, a bond that could never be undone. Although Darien had assured her that the ceremony and the bonding itself wouldn't hold her to the darkness, wouldn't make her evil, Valac saw it as proof of her commitment to the darkness, to him and his half-Demon son.

Darien's blood now flowed through her veins, as it always would for as long as she lived, blood that was partly Demonic.

"And so it is done." Reiizon's darkly delighted voice could be heard throughout the entire throne room.

As the cold evil pain faded into memory, Serena gradually became aware of something else, something different, mounting within her. Something that felt massive and powerful that was floating on the edge of her consciousness.

Across the city, the clocks tolled midnight.

* * *

**So the moment has come, Serena is about to inherit great power. **

**The last chapter before the Epliogue will be posted soon, hopefully within the next two weeks, but I can't make it a promise.**


	10. Chapter 9 Angel of Darkness

**Hi everyone, I know it's been a while and I'm so sorry about that, but I have a nice Christmas gift for you all to make it up to you.**

**The completion of this fanfic!**

**Thankyou to everyone who has stuck with me during these long intervals between chapters, you all know that I do post them as soon as I am able.**

**I have been receiving emails about the absence of "steamy" scenes in this fanfic. On that I would like to explain why this fanfic is without a steamy scene.**

**I felt that it just didn't fit with the characters. Darien may have assimilated to modern times but he was still born into a time when marrying a woman before bedding was the proper and honourable thing to do. He also loved and cherished his mother, which I felt deepened and strengthen that respect, especially after her murder when Darien became resolved to live his life by the ways his mother had taught him.**

**I realised that there was a little predictability there with me and my steamy scenes and predictability is something I'm working on, along with my habit of repetition. **

**And lastly, steamy scenes are HARD to write! There are only so many ways to do one thing – before one reallllly has to get creative and that tends to lead to kinky - before repetition really becomes a problem. The steamy scene I intended for this fic was way too simular to the one I'm intending for Heart's Sight.**

**But no fear, Steamy scenes are part of my writing style; I just don't want them to be predictable and expected is all.**

**Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Everyone! Be Safe.**

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Angel of Darkness**

* * *

It had begun; her birthright.

Serena could feel it coming for her; she didn't need to hear a clock chime midnight to know that the moment had come, the moment she'd unknowingly been waiting for ever since the day she'd been born.

The air around her vibrated with meaning, power and destiny. Her body prickled with mounting power, her blood gushed through her veins and a growing heat was building in her rapidly pounding heart, a heat that was burning her from the inside out. A heat that had came with a mounting force that felt as if it was going to blow her apart from the inside. It was too powerful, too intense, too much for her small fragile mortal body to contain.

For the past week, Serena had been able to feel something growing inside of her, her power, and now it was reaching its peak, its end. It was only seconds away, before it was one minute past midnight, it would be over. She would gain her true power that she would be able to bend to her will without restraint.

In moments, Serena would be the next Chosen in all rights, the most powerful immortal warrior on the Earth.

Serena had no idea of what the coming future would be, but it was beginning.

And with it came the time to put her plan into action. An idea which had come to form into a plan while Rei had been telling her about the Bonding Ceremony during her fitting.

Serena didn't know if it was going to work, all she could do was hope and pray that it would, that it would be enough to save them both and this world.

All her life there had been something missing, Serena knew that now even if she hadn't before. Ever since she'd been old enough to understand what the absence of her mother in her life meant, she'd dreamed of knowing her, of becoming a woman that her mother could be proud of.

And now Serena knew who that woman was. This was how she could know her mother, by becoming the woman, the Chosen, her mother had been. Only she would do things her mother hadn't dreamed possible of her only daughter. She would be more than her mother had hoped. She would follow her heart and she would see the end of this war.

Something her mother hadn't lived to see.

Darien had been kneeling at Serena's side, waiting anxiously for her to raise her head, to prove that she was all right after drinking the evilly toxic bonding potion, when a ripple of awesome power rippled through the room. A ripple emitting from Serena, as her skin began to glow celestially, the light pure and without taint.

For a brief moment, Darien had been overcome by the fear that something had gone terribly wrong, but then logic had pushed its way through his fear, reasoning that the light radiating from her was white and warm.

Midnight had come.

Serena's moment, the time for her Choice, had come; a moment which would determine that fate of the Immortal War for the next five thousand years.

Her destiny had begun.

Without warning, Serena was lifted from beneath his hands and she magically rose up into the air where she floated divinely six feet above the floor, shinning like a white moon-like sun. Her eyes clenched tightly closed, her face twisted in an expression of pain and intense concentration.

Darien had never witnessed a Chosen receiving her powers, but he knew the power was immense; it made sense that the moment in which that power was inherited was one of great difficulty.

As the luminous glow around her became brighter, a twirling wind encircled her figure until it became strong howling winds that raged around her, in effect giving the illustration that she was floating in the centre point of a tornado of light and power. Her long golden hair danced around her, her gown fluttering violently against her otherwise motionless form as the magnificent sparkling light consuming her became brighter and brighter.

Leaping to his feet, Darien was forced to back away, along with every Demon in the room. The power emitted from her was too powerful, the light too warm and pure.

Darien raised his arm to shield his eyes from the now blinding light and howling wind, but did not take his eyes from her.

He could not, would not. He had to be ready to help her if she needed it.

The power emitting from her was overwhelming, and beyond just description, it felt warm and happy and loving; to Darien it _felt_ like _her_.

To him it felt loving and promising, although Darien doubted that was how it felt to the other occupants of the room who were still backing away from her. Only Valac remind close, Reiizon and Dagon a few steps behind him, even though there were struggling to remain as close as they were.

Serena gritted her teeth. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears and the light and power inside of her made it feel like she was burning alive from the inside out, but at the same time the heat, the power, felt as if it were becoming a part of her as she fought against the crushing force of the power still pouring into her already overflowing body.

She had to concentrate. She only had one chance at this. What she did now would decide not just her own life, but that of the entire world for the next five thousand years.

'_Heaven or Hell. On which side do you choose to stand?'_

Serena gasped at the familiar woman's voice which echoed inside of her mind, inside the power still filling her body.

Serena knew the voice, she knew it in her heart. _'Mother?'_ This was her mother's real voice, it wasn't a dream.

'_Yes. I am your mother, my darling. You only have seconds remaining, my sweet daughter. Declare your choice to the power or it will consume and destroy you.'_

'_I choose Darien. I love him. I need him.'_

'_Regardless, you must name your side, my darling.'_

'_Hang on a sec.'_ Serena told her mother as she reached out with her mind, a sense of urgency sweeping through her. She was running out of time, she had to cement things now or she'd never be able too, even with all the power she was this very moment inheriting.

Serena didn't know how to do what she wished. All she could do was trust in herself, the power she'd been born to inherit and love. Unsure, while certain in her love, she reached out to Darien's mind, praying that it would work.

Mentally reaching out, Serena hit something, a barrier. Unpractised but able with all too willing power, she mentally probed the mental wall in her way. It was strong and well adept. It had been erect for so long, its survival and strength was second nature now.

It was a mental shield, one with a familiar presence. It was strong, built from centuries of keeping his father out. Serena could feel that over the centuries the mental shield had become a part of Darien. It had to be, it had been necessary to his survival.

Once.

Serena grit her teeth harder and pushed her way through the mental shield knowing Darien wouldn't like the invasion, but there was no other way.

They were out of time. It was now or never.

'_Darien.'_ Serena whispered into his mind.

'_Serena?'_ Darien sounded shocked, even in his mental voice.

'_Do you trust me?'_

'_Yes.'_ Darien answered without hesitation or doubt.

Serena felt her heart swell with love and certainty. She had been certain about things in her life before, that the sky was blue, when it rained it poured, but never had she felt this certain, this trusting. There wasn't a single shadow of doubt within her. Darien would be with her for always, and he would never stop loving her the way she knew he did now.

For him, because of him, she was strong.

'_Then draw your sword and run me through. Spill my life's blood.'_

'_WHAT/?'_ Darien was horrified that she would even think of asking that of him.

Darien would not hesitate to spill his own life's blood for her, but there was no way in Heaven or Hell that he was going to spill hers. He would not cut so much as a single hair upon her head, and she wanted him to run her through and cause a wound that he would not be able to heal before her life faded?

Had she lost her senses?

Serena didn't have time for this! It stroked the feminine side of her heart that he was so protective, but it had to be done.

'_Darien, you must trust me! Do it now, it's the only way! Please, Darien! I promise it will all be okay.'_

Swearing violently, Darien threw out his arm and summoned his enchanted blade to his hand in a wave of sudden Demonic power. He could feel her desperate need for him to obey her, to trust her, and even though he in no way understood why she was asking this of him, he would trust her and do as she asked.

If she died, he would follow.

Raising his blade, Darien looked up into her beautiful, motionless, glowing face; her expression was almost peaceful now. _'I love you.'_

Darien felt her loving smile even though her lips did not so much as twitch.

'_Do it.'_

Lunging forward, into the light and howling raging winds, Darien thrust out his sword towards her and with practiced ease ran her through, piercing the delicate creamy flesh of her stomach.

The instant Serena's blood touched his blade, her floating glowing form exploded with light and power, forcing all eyes, even Darien's and Valac's, away.

Serena felt her body explode in pain, but she remained still. Seconds were gone, only heartbeats remained. She didn't have time to feel pain. She had felt the blade of Darien's sword pierce and tear her flesh, she had felt the agonizing pain, and then she felt her power flare.

As the flash of light faded enough for Darien to open his eyes, he turned his gaze back to her and gasped at the sight that reached his eyes.

His blade, which he had left embedded in her flesh, was gone leaving no sign of blood or injury behind. In fact the material had even been mended as if it had never been torn, but not only had it mended, it had changed. The colour had drained from the fabric, leaving behind a pure white gown.

Serena reached for her power – that was still pouring into her from where she had no idea – and willed it to obey her, to bend to her will. It was hers now, it _would_ obey her. She was her mother's daughter, she had been born to have this power, to yield it as she willed and it would yield to her.

With great relief, her new power came to her without difficulty or resistance.

Darien could do nothing as he felt Serena's power wrap around him and lift him into the air, carrying him towards her, urging him to stretch out his arm and take hold of the hand she extending towards him, held out to him, blood dripping from an open cut on her palm.

Darien knew that the wound had not come from any blade.

Darien looked down at his own hand, catching a glimpse of his palm a moment before he was magically compelled to take hold of her hand. There was a deep cut across his palm, identical to hers, that he had not even felt inflicted.

Serena reached out for Darien and suddenly his hand was in hers. She had willed the flesh of his and her own hand to part enough to allow blood to flow. She could feel their mixed warm blood leaking from between their tightly clasped hands.

With their blood merging, Serena reached out for Darien's mind once again, dropping all of her own mental barriers that she hadn't even known she'd possessed, opening her mind completely to him.

Darien felt rather than sensed Serena completely open her mind to him, trusting him so completely, welcoming him into the deepest parts of her mind and soul. The bond that had been forged by his father's ceremony was a dying ember compared to the depth she was now offered.

Moved beyond all and any words, Darien willed his own mental barriers to fall away and he opened himself to her as she was to him.

And it with a mental click it was done, never to be undone.

Serena held back a gasp as Darien opened himself to her as completely as she had for him, knowing that the soft sound would break her concentration. Reaching out to Darien's mind, even with her raw power, would never have been enough. Darien had reached out to her mind as she had reached out to his and their minds had truly touched and something had connected, cemented itself in place.

A bond, unlike any to have ever been forged, was born between them, cementing itself in place for all eternity.

'_So your choice is made.' _Whispered a proud loving motherly voice as the presence faded from her mind.

* * *

Darien had no idea what was happening, but all at once he felt Serena not only enter his mind, more deeply than she had moments before, but he felt her open her mind to him to read as he willed.

Not just her mind, but everything. Her heart, her soul, even her power.

Darien could sense her pouring into him, her essence and her power. She was filling him, his body, his consciousness and his heart. He could practically feel the blood in his veins being cleansed by her bright pure power, the Demon blood and evil power being washed away, replaced by something else. Something bright and warm and welcoming. She was washing away the evil the Demonic blood held within him.

At the same time, memories that were not his own, were pooling into his mind. Emotions, strong, warm and loving, filled his heart and light, pure shinning light, filled his soul.

In his mind the strongest, the clearest, of memories played in his mind's eye.

Darien saw a happy little girl with golden hair in pig tails laughing before the eyes of a loving father and stepmother. He saw Serena dancing at her first high school dance with a faceless boy just shortly before her parents were killed in a fire.

He saw Serena, as a young teenager, crying. Her sobs were sorrowful as loneliness swelled within her; the sight was heart-wrenching. Darien knew that her parents had died only weeks before and the pain and loneliness was too much to bear.

And then Darien saw Serena as she was now. A strong woman – she had had to be to survive – who was so lonely that it was hard to have hope for the future. A woman who dreamed, yearned, for a normal life in which she simply was not alone anymore.

But Darien knew that that dream had changed.

It had been so since the moment Serena had met him. She loved him, more than should have been possible of a human heart. She wanted to be with him for the rest of her immortal days, even if it meant fighting this war for thousands of years, and she had risked everything to make it so.

Darien could see her plan clearly now. She had planned this, planned to break their deals with his father and bind them together in a way that was so much more powerful than the Submission Ceremony.

They were linked on such a deep level now that every thought, every memory and emotion, even pain and pleasure, was shared. What one felt so did the other, what one thought the other heard. What one knew so did the other. No matter how far apart they were, the bond would never weaken. They would always know where the other was and what they were doing and feeling.

They were one. One heart, one soul, one being, and one life force.

Never had Darien known anything so incredible, so awe-inspiring

He knew he could even see through her eyes as she could through his when he concentrated, and Darien knew that because Serena did.

The ancient power of the ceremony still remained, he could feel it. With a single thought, Darien could still make her do anything he wished, but he could also feel her trust in him that he would never abuse the power he held over her.

That was why Serena had left what the Submission Ceremony had created between them alone. She could have easily removed it the moment he had run her though, but she had not even considered the thought.

Understanding filled him. By running Serena through, by drawing her blood, he had freed himself from the deal he had struck with his father. He had broken the deal he had made by harming her.

He was no longer under his father's command. Drawing her blood had broken his father's side of the deal.

Serena had endured the excruciating pain of being run through by an enchanted blade just to set him free of his father.

Darien beamed proudly. Brave, clever girl.

And Serena's deal with Valac had never been binding, not for a single moment.

'_My freedom was never mine to give.'_ Serena whispered softly into his mind through the bond_ing_ link that now flowed strongly between them, linking them. _'I'd already pledged it to you.'_

The memory of that exact moment played before Serena's mind's eye, and therefore played in Darien's mind's eye as well.

Darien saw that as she knelt by his unconscious and dying form in a dark, abandoned warehouse where she had hidden them after killing Shax. He could feel her tears and her desperation and agony as if they were his own, and her words echoed in his ears as if they were coming from his own mouth.

'_I'm so sorry, Darien.'_ She sobbed helplessly. '_I promise, if you keep fighting, if you come back to me that I'll always trust you. I will stay with you as long as you want me and I'll do whatever you want me to do! I'll choose and fight whoever you want me to! Just, please, don't die on me! I need you!'_

Serena felt Darien mentally caress her in reply to her words and the memory, caress her very heart and soul. Darien was part of her now, as he would be for the rest of their shared lives.

Serena purred in her mind, knowing Darien could hear and feel it, at the thought. She then turned her attention back to what was still flooding her mind.

Foreign memories, thoughts and emotions flooded her mind. All Darien's. Serena watched them play before her mind's eye as she felt Darien do the same with hers that he was still receiving.

Loneliness, fear and pain. Hatred, betrayal and self-loathing. Darien missed his mother and blamed himself, hated himself, for her death. He hated his father and what Valac had made him, had poisoned his veins with before he'd even been born. He feared that one day the Demon in him would become strong enough to rise up and take control of him, and in doing so, wipe out the human side of him his mother had struggled so hard to create within him.

He'd been truly alone since the day his mother had been murdered.

That had been Darien's life before they'd fallen in love, after that there was nothing but love and the doubting fear that he wasn't worthy of her.

Serena smiled fondly, as the very knowledge entered her mind, Darien was right now learning better.

Serena had felt the evil, the Demon, in Darien's blood and she'd washed it away along with his Demonic form until nothing of it remained. Although traces of the blood of the Demon still remained, it was no longer evil. Being half Demon was part of who Darien was, and she loved all parts of him. She wouldn't take it completely from him. She wouldn't divide him, no matter how much he wished it now.

But Endymion was well and truly gone. Washed away in the light and power that was their love.

Serena could also feel Darien's power that was far stronger than even he'd ever known, and she knew she could use it as her own as he was now able to use hers as he willed. She also knew that she'd always be able to feel his pain, his pleasure, no matter how far apart they were. She'd always know where he was and if he was safe as he would her.

They were one now. One mind, one heart, one soul and one power.

One life force. Where Serena knew she would've one day died the moment her child was born in exactly five thousand years, Darien's immortality, his life force – their life force – would keep her alive when death came for her. As they shared power, they now shared life.

Serena was truly immortal now because Darien was. But there was a catch. One could only live as long as the other did, if one of them died the other would follow.

They were truly bonded in the deepest, truest, of ways. Forever. The bond could never be undone, even if someday they wished it.

And then Serena heard Darien's plans and desires to kill his father to keep her safe. Once, not even a week ago, the impulses to kill his father had been driven by the need, the compelling urge, to avenge his mother.

Now the compelling urge was to protect.

Serena didn't want Darien to do it, to kill his own father, but she felt how much he needed it. He needed to set himself free once and for all so that they could truly be together without anything between them.

Serena reached out for their united power. Darien may've had the blood of a Demon running through his veins but his heart and his soul were completely human, were pure as they'd always been.

He'd just never allowed himself to see it. To accept that he was and always had been his mother's son.

At last Serena knew that Darien had everything he wished. They'd be together for as long as they lived and he now had the power he needed to defeat his father and avenge his mother's murder, even if it wasn't what now drove him.

In the act, by finally getting his revenge, Darien would find peace in himself with what had happened so long ago.

Serena reached out with her mind and her power, for Darien's sword. The enchanted blade he'd carried with him for centuries, the weapon he'd planned to fight his father with. The very blade his father had given him to kill others with.

As she willed, the blade appeared in Darien's hand. It was time to wake from their trance, and face the army of powerful Demonic witnesses. They were at the top of the Demon stronghold on Earth, and the army of powerful Demons was something they couldn't ignore anymore.

They'd have eternity to dwell in each other.

Serena felt Darien look down at his enchanted blade, for a moment startled. It seemed that he hadn't been paying attention to her current line of thought, rather he had been watching her memories play before his eyes like home movies.

Darien looked up into her eyes, reading her thoughts in her mind.

'_Take your moment, my love.'_ Serena whispered into his mind through their bond with unwavering confidence._ 'Leave the rest to me.'_

Darien hesitated, in no way liking the idea of Serena facing so many powerful Demons on her own, even with the power of the Chosen coursing through her veins. There was a small army of Demons, many some of the most powerful on Earth, in his father's domain.

To top it all off, Serena had not even faced a Demon in battle yet. She had no clue how ruthless, cunning and deadly Demons could be when they battled for their lives.

'_I don't.'_ Serena told him at hearing his thoughts. _'But you do and what you know, I know. Don't worry about me. I'll take care of them all.'_

And Darien felt his feelings of anxiety wash away in a wave of warm loving light and he found himself looking into her mind, hearing and feeling everything she was as she pulled him even deeper into their bond.

Darien could feel her confidence and belief that she could do it, that she could hold back the army of Demons on her own to give him a chance at Valac. He could also see that she would never put herself in a danger she could not handle for when she risked her life, she risked his and she would never let him die. Especially not because of her.

Darien had never known anything like this in all his centuries, not even while his mother had been alive. He had never felt so completely confident and without loneliness. He was not alone anymore; he never could be alone again even when Serena was parted from him because they were a part of each other now. She loved him and he could not doubt that love, not when it flowed so freely through his own heart.

Serena would always be with him, always love him. She would never leave him, never betray him or be false. She would die for him – not that he would ever allow her – she would do anything for him. She would be his strength, his hope, when he had none.

Serena was his reason to live, his strength. He would never be without her. He was looking at eternity with her by his side, not even Heaven could rival what that gave him.

With that, with Serena, by his side, in his heart, how could they lose . . . anything?

Darien looked into her beautiful deep loving eyes and gave her a confident grin, nodding once in agreement. Serena would always keep his heart safe by keeping herself safe.

Serena was his. He had everything now, he did not need to kill his father to be at peace, he was at peace, but he felt that he owed it to his mother, and he had his chance now. He could rid the Earth and the war of Valac, and so he would fight his father, even though it risked his own – and Serena's – life.

"I love you," Darien whispered, needing to speak the words aloud.

Darien felt love and joy swell in his chest in reaction to his words – her reaction to his words. Serena did not need to say the words, Darien could _feel_ them. Feel their love.

And with that thought, Darien turned his attention back to their audience, who had been momentarily forgotten.

Not one of them, not even Valac or Dagon, had dared to move a single step towards them during Serena's moment of Choice. They had all watched in awed silence as the both of them had been floating in mid air glowing like a white midday sun.

Raising his enchanted blade, Darien turned his focus to Valac. Only this time, he felt no hatred or contempt. They were beyond him now because they were beyond Serena. Serena was too pure to feel such things, even after all the pain and loss she had endured throughout her life.

Power, determination and love flowed through his veins, causing his soul to sing and his body to buzz with energy and life. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in his deep blue eyes, he had none. He had everything to live for, he would not lose this fight.

The simple action of taking a step forward, towards the Demon King, seemed to bring the present audience out of their enthralled trance.

Some of the Demons stepped back in response, some looked uncertain as though they could not decide whether to flee or remain, while the rest summoned their own Demonic blades, ready for battle as it was clear that they were not on the same side of the war.

Darien scarcely gave them all a glance; he knew Serena would deal with them. Not one would get near him. Only Valac and Dagon would be his to deal with.

Behind him, Darien sensed the light subside around Serena until it was only a faint glow. Still power crackled and sparked around her glowing form, immense power that was filled with love and warmth.

Something Demons were not accustomed to. Darien doubted if most of them could even identify what it was that made the light feel so warm and welcoming.

Serena would be able to handle herself. As he could use her power, she could access his battle skill and knowledge.

What one knew so did the other. He knew how to fight and now so did she, even if her body had yet to be trained.

Darien glared menacingly into his father's wide eyes. "Our time has come, _father_. The deals are broken. You have no power over us anymore." A hint of an amused and gleeful grin touched his lips. "You never did."

For the first time in all the long years Darien had known his father, a flash of fear flashed in the Demon King's eyes. Something the Demon king had never been known to show before.

But Valac quickly hide his fear, dark hardness filling his black eyes as furious resolve consumed his face, twisting his features inhumanly.

"You had your chance, Endymion." Valac growled darkly. "Now, you'll die."

Darien did not answer. His father would learn his response soon enough, by the point of his blade.

Darien took another step forward, and the three – Dagon, Rei and his father – summoned their Demon blades.

Ready for the fight Darien had been waiting for for centuries.

As her feet returned to the floor, Serena turned her attention to their audience. She had to deal with the army of Demons gathered before Darien engaged his father in a battle to the death and the Dark Guard who had just summoned their own enchanted blades, ready to fight.

This battle would be hard enough without an army of Demons at Valac's back.

But what to do with them? These were the most powerful Demons on Earth, and unlike any Chosen before her – how she knew, Serena had no idea – she had the power to deal with them all.

And such power gave her options.

Could she really kill so many? They were Demons who'd done terrible things, but they were still living creatures.

Most of which had killed countless humans, like the receptionist who'd brought her into the building the day before.

'_Send them back to Hell.'_ Darien's caressing voice whispered deep within her mind.

His caressing words caused a tickling – but very pleasant – shudder to sweep through her. Serena knew that feeling, it was desire. Thick, powerful desire that had for too long been suppressed but had come to life with the bond, within both of them. Darien had wanted her in body since she'd become an adult in his dreams, and Serena herself couldn't boast that she'd been immune to his sexual aurora. She'd damn near nearly jumped him that night a week ago in her apartment.

Serena felt Darien respond to her thoughts, but before Darien could put his emotions together into a mental sigh and tell her that this wasn't the time for this, she forced her attention away from their combined – and raging – sexual desire.

For the time being.

Darien had told her to send the Demons back to Hell. Locking them away in Hell. Yes. That she could do. Even as the Chosen, a warrior born to fight this war, Serena couldn't bring herself to kill so many. Even if they were Demons. At least not yet. Maybe one day, after fighting the war for so long, she'd be able to kill without thought, but she wasn't that person, that warrior, yet.

Serena sensed Darien momentarily abandon his menacing position of intimidation before his father to take a protective stance beside her where he could defend her while she did what she was preparing to do.

It would take a great deal of power and concentration to send the Demons back to Hell, leaving herself unprotected. Serena would even have to partly cut off the bond between them so that Darien wasn't affected by the immense amount of power she was about to summon.

Darien's form had never been designed to handle such awesome power.

Serena willed a protective shield to form around them both, Darien was ready to deal with any who might penetrate it – there wasn't much of a chance of that but neither of them would ever take the risk – and then turned all her will and concentration to summoning the majority of their power and bending it to her will.

To say that it was going to be difficult was like comparing a puddle to the Pacific Ocean.

Serena mentally reached out, scanning the entire city for every Demon and creature of Hell. It nearly shocked her out of her state of consciousness to learn just how many there were. Some were even in the middle of an evil and cruel act against humans.

Something inside of her was tempted to stop and deal with them, to stop the Demons from harming anyone else. How many had been hurt or worse by this war? Innocent souls stolen or corrupted by the evil of Hell.

A familiar presence in her mind nudged her attention away from the horrific sights, urging her onward.

'_Keep going. Look beyond it.'_ Darien urged her on gently. _'You can help a few or save many.'_

Darien was right. As hard as it was, Serena had to look at the bigger picture. She could save them, the mortal victims of those of the Demonic World, by sending them all back to Hell where they belonged.

Serena reached out further and further. She was almost at the city limits, but the further out she reached, the harder and more draining it became to keep hold on her power and maintain control.

Just a little more and she'd be there, she'd have every Demon in the city under her blanket.

But she couldn't do it, it was too hard. The strain was becoming painful, mentally and physically.

No! She couldn't do it! It was too hard! She was too untrained and unpractised at using her power, what made her think that she was able to cleanse the entire city of Los Angeles?

She'd been foolish.

The instant the thought passed through her mind, a strong unrelenting loving presence of strength and unbending will, wrapped around her like a blanket of strength and will, and suddenly it wasn't so hard.

Serena gasped. Darien was reinforcing her will, her strength, with his own.

Never had Serena felt so strong, so confident and prominent. Darien was there with her, as he would always be and he loved her. There was nothing that they couldn't do.

There was no _I_ between them now, only us and we.

And just like that, they were there. Serena could feel the blanket of power covering every inch of the city. She could sense every Demon, every creature of Hell under her net.

Serena knew through Darien's knowledge that this was going to be hard, so much harder than anything she'd ever done before.

But they would do it together and they would survive it.

All they needed now was a Hell portal, but where was she going to find one of those?

Serena sensed Darien retrieve a memory from deep within his mind, a memory he hadn't recalled in centuries . . .

In their mind's eye Serena saw Darien as a young boy standing before his father, Valac looked exactly the same as he did in precent time, listening to something Valac was telling him.

" _. . . there are only a few portals on earth for both sides."_ Valac had told him. _"For it takes great power, more than is harnessed by any on earth, even the Chosen, to open a portal from the other words onto the earth, but once a portal is created it cannot be banished. One dwells beneath this very castle, it's the very one that brought me unto this earth . . ."_

As the memory receded, Serena returned her attention to the present. _'Darien, where was that castle?'_

Serena felt Darien grin. "Beneath our feet." He whispered in her ear.

Serena turned her focus to what lay beneath the foundations of the building, ignoring the piles of mortal bodies and cages holding mortal and Demonic prisoners on the lowest floor.

There! Serena could feel it. The power was cold, evil and immense.

Valac had been right, there was no way even she had that kind of power, the power to create a portal, but it seemed that once they were created, they remained. This one was strong and had only been opened a few centuries before. She could almost identify the last time it'd been opened.

Serena analysed the energy, the power. The portal had no physical element; it was made of invisible energies and powers, all Demonic. It seemed that opening it from this side would be relatively easy, unlike the other side. Portals, or this portal, was one way. If Demons wanted to come to earth from Hell they had to open it from their side.

So it was easier to send Demons back then it was to summon them to earth.

Which was probably the reason why the Demons hadn't just opened the portals and full on invaded the Earth.

'_Ah, Serena?'_ Darien drew her attention back to him. _'Do you think you can reflect on all of this later before the Demons you're holding in the city figure out what you are intending?'_

'_Alright!'_ Serena snapped back, irritated with herself. She hadn't meant for her thoughts to wander. She couldn't help it if all of this was new and as such still fascinating to her! _'How do I open it?'_

'_Only a Demon, Fallen Angel or powerful Archangel can open a Hell's portal.'_

Before she could reply, Serena felt Darien take hold of her hand and wrap his mental self around her and her power.

Serena in no way resisted him, reading his intentions in his mind. If a powerful Demon was needed to open the portal, then Darien was the only one who could open it, using their combined power.

'_Have you ever done this before?'_

Serena knew the answer before she'd even finished the question. Valac was the only one who'd opened a portal to Hell – the only Demon anyway, they couldn't know for the Angels – in the last millennia.

Serena felt rather than watched Darien nudge the shadow of the portal with their power, wondering if this was going to work with their situation. Darien wasn't exactly a Demon anymore and she definitely wasn't.

Their power flowed from them and into the shadow of the portal in attempt to bring it to life.

And just like that, like striking a match, it flared into life, opening wide like a whirlpool of power and dirty water.

'_Now drop them into it.'_ Darien told her as he pulled out of her mind and retreated so she could use her power in full while he stood guard over her.

Serena returned her full attention back to the Demons under her blanketing net. She could feel the evil radiating from them, but not all of them.

Her closed eyes narrowing, Serena focused more on those that she knew were Demon but didn't read as evil. There were those who weren't evil, even though they were Demons. Some of the few were living normal lives, trying to be part of the Mortal World, some were fighting for the mortals and some were simply existing outside of the war.

She couldn't send them all back. Not all deserved to go.

It would only make it harder, but she was certain that she could do it. She could spare the few like Andrew who wished no part in the war or harm to the Mortal World. They deserved something for their choice.

Unlike the Demons and the Angels alike, Serena would show mercy. Darien was right; things were black and white, good and evil, anymore. Things had changed.

One by one, Serena mentally sorted through the Demons; collecting the guilty, the evil and releasing the good.

Even Demons had a choice of which side to fight on.

The Demons, those to go back to Hell, either didn't have the power to fight her or were caught unawares, there was nothing they could do to stop her from pulling them out of their human hosts or pulling their strained tainted shadows of a soul from the bodies of the born, and dropping them into the portal. Their black evil essences barely able to remain in existence in her golden power.

More and more, Serena collected and dropped into the portal, with each she could feel her strength and her power draining. She gritted her teeth and kept going, she was going to do this. She wasn't going to leave one Demon behind who was a threat to innocent people in the city.

She left those within the building until last. Floor by floor, she worked her way up until she finally reached the last two floors and with agonised screams, Serena pulled the Demons from the human hosts within the throne room.

And just when Serena thought it wasn't ever going to end, Serena felt the last one enter the portal and she released her hold on it.

A moment later the portal shrunk and closed, sealing hundreds of Demons in Hell.

Human hosts and victims left safely behind on Earth.

Serena sunk to her knees and breathed in relief. It was done. There was no evil Demon left in the city.

'_Thank you.'_

Serena gasped and opened her eyes, looking around for the source of the ghostly faint whisper even knowing she wouldn't see the speaker. A wave of relief and a solemn sense of peace swept not just through the room but through the city, although it was strongest on the floors directly below them.

What the Hell had that been?

'_The souls of the innocent and damned that the Demons stole.' _Darien stood with his sword in hand and his back to her. _'Without their demonic master here, the souls are free to go onto Heaven.'_

The souls of theinnocent and damned? Like that receptionist. _'I can't put them back in their bodies?'_

'_No.'_ Darien answered solemnly. _'Once taken from their bodies, they cannot return. That's just the way it is, but they will know peace in Heaven.'_

Serena took a moment to mourn for the many, even knowing that they were going to a better place where they could finally know peace.

* * *

Rei gasped, her vision overwhelming her as she saw what the Chosen had just done. She had sent every Demonic solider in the city including those within the building and in the room, back to Hell. Only Dagon, her father and herself remained – of those who stood on Hell's side anyway. The Chosen had spared the traitors.

Why, why had the Chosen not sent Dagon and herself back to Hell? Rei could not understand it. It would not have been that much more difficult to send herself and Dagon to Hell. Her father was another story, but why had she left the three of them untouched?

What was the Chosen up to? What was her plan?

Whatever it was, the Chosen had to be stopped before she progressed any further.

"Dagon!" Rei cried out, urgency ringing clear in her voice. "Stop them!"

Dagon hesitated only a split second before he drew his sword in one smooth move and walked with a warrior's proud stride towards the still glowing Chosen.

Valac watched with callous interest as Dagon neared the Chosen, his Demonic blade held steady in his hold. Reiizon had commanded him to stop them from doing what they had already done. He could feel it; no Demon loyal to him remained in the city. She had not however taken any of the traitorous Demons of the resistance.

What had his daughter seen that put such urgency in her voice?

Dagon raised his sword to attack the Chosen, but as Valac had expected, Endymion stepped forward and raised his hand, deadly purpose blazing in his mortal eyes, his mother's mortal eyes.

In one smooth move, Darien pivoted and took Dagon's head from his shoulders in a single swing of his sword.

Now that was the warrior he had trained his son to be. Before now Dagon had been an equal rival of his son's but now behold, Endymion had taken his head with ease.

This was the prince worthy to be his successor.

It was a shame that now Valac had to kill them both. Endymion was linked deeply to the Chosen who had too pure a heart. He would never be able to corrupt them as interconnected as they were now.

And unbound by Demonic Deals, there was no way he would be able to control either of them.

The Chosen had chosen against them, she was the Half-blood now and she had to die.

Serena opened her eyes in time to see Dagon's body explode into the flames of Hellfire as Darien turned his focus to his father.

"He's all yours, my love." Serena told him as she turned her attention to Rei, who was silently fuming with fear in her blood red eyes.

Not wanting Rei to interfere, and not currently having the tolerance to deal with her, Serena summoned a powerful shield around the Demonic princess that would hold for as long as Serena willed it too.

Darien felt Serena cage his sister and then close her eyes, her consciousness leaving her body sitting motionlessly on the floor.

Darien gave a small brief grin at her still form, knowing where she was headed and he turned to his father, ready to fight the fight he had been waiting so long for.

But even as he turned his focus to battle, he was mindful of her physical form and the dangers around them.

Serena could defend herself now, but he would always be there whether she needed him or not.

* * *

Serena had known that Andrew would be on alert. No doubt every Angel and Demon and the in-between had felt the power from her Choice and the battle they continued to fight.

Andrew stood at the floor to ceiling windows in his apartment, looking out over the city, dressed in shiny medieval armour engraved with strange lettering and symbols and holding his enchanted blade in his hand motionlessly at his side. Clearly he'd been expecting company tonight, but Serena knew that her company would not be what he expected.

"Hello again, Andrew." Serena said softly, kindly, from behind him.

Andrew turned to see Serena standing in the middle of the room behind him, half transparent and glowing. His eyes widened in astonishment, but that was his only reaction at the sight of her standing in his living room glowing like a small star in the night sky.

"I knew you'd never be able to do it." He said with calm knowing.

Serena knew Andrew was talking about being unable to choose Hell's side. "I would have. For him. Fortunately there was another way."

"He does love you." Andrew stated with genuine belief. "Darien is a lucky guy to have earned your love in return. Though he is worthy of it."

"I know." Serena smiled.

Andrew's stance tensed as he became serious. "Why are you here?"

"You helped us." Serena reminded him. "You saved Darien's life and kept us safe. I owe you a debt and I'm here to pay it. I'm here to give you a second chance."

"A second chance?"

"You can be human again." Serena said gently, her smile compassionate.

Andrew's eyes narrowed, but Serena could see a spark of hope igniting within his sorrowful eyes. "Only Heaven's highest Archangels can turn me back, can give me my mortality back. A Chosen does not have such power."

Serena smiled with patient confidence. "That may've been true of those before me, but I am no ordinary chosen. I have the power, I promise you." She took a step forward and spoke sincerely. "I can give you this, if you wish. You can have an ordinary life. You can live again. You'll remember nothing of this world or this life. You'll be free and safe. No one will ever be able to find you."

"Darien will lose an ally."

"But never a friend." Serena stepped forward and smiled up into his emotional, yet hesitant, eyes. "This is really happening, Andrew. You'll live a human life and at the end you'll have a chance at Heaven, just as any other. I can't promise that you'll go to Heaven, that's not my decision. It will depend upon the kind of life you choose to live. I'm sorry you lost she who you loved in your last life, but you have a chance to know love again."

Andrew had dreamed of a second chance with fragile hope ever since he had made the Devil's Deal, but he had never really believed he would have a chance at one. He did not think himself worthy of a second chance, a second life, but here she was, Darien's true love, offering it to him with a smile on her lips and kindness in her depthless eyes.

With no strings attached.

"Thank you." Andrew whispered and he closed his eyes, finally able to let everything he had carried for so long go.

Serena gave him a joyous smile that he could not see and a moment later Andrew exploded into bright light and disappeared.

* * *

Serena became aware of her physical body once more, returning to the throne room to find Darien locked in sword combat with his father and his half blood sister fuming as she struggled in vain to get through the powerful shield Serena had cast around her. Her power crackled around her like angry red fire works, especially around her angry red glowing hands, her fingers spread and locked like she was about the attempt to claw her way out.

The expression on her face was pure evil fury.

After sending Darien a quick mental reassurance, Serena willed the shield to dissolve. It seemed that Rei would be hers to handle. And she was capable of doing so, Darien's centuries of knowledge and skill flowed through her own mind as if it were her own. Her body was unprepared and untrained, but her power would do well to make up for her disadvantage.

Everything she and Darien were they now shared.

Serena looked up in time to see Rei raise her arm and summoned a black blood gem encrusted enchanted sword to her hand. The blade was as black as her hair, the hilt was a gleaming golden and the dark rubies and crimson red diamonds sparkled as spectacularly as the princess's blood red furious eyes.

The blade the Demon Princess held truly was a reflection of herself.

Wanting such a blade for herself, Serena summoned her power and closed her eyes in attempt to visualise an enchanted blade of her own.

But swords were not exactly her expertise, as hard as she tried she just couldn't form an appropriate visualization of such a blade.

'_Here, my sweet love.'_ Darien's soft loving voice whispered into her mind and a moment later, in a surge of their power, something solid formed in her hand.

Serena smiled appreciatively, so perfectly her love had her pegged. When she opened her eyes, she didn't look down at the much simpler enchanted blade, as she knew exactly what it looked like through Darien's mind.

A sword forged with a long silver blade and a golden hilt. There was only two precious gems embedded into the hilt, a flawless clear diamond the size of an oval golf ball on either side of the top of the hilt which the ends of which was curved in a simple oval shape. The hilt was engraved with an elegant and finely etched design of a rose vine running along each side of the blade with crescent moons entwined in the rose vine.

There was nothing particularly spectacular about the enchanted blade her love had forged for her, except for the power that radiated from it. The warm glowing power of love.

Serena held up the sword and noticed that there was an inscription just below where the hilt met the blade.

Holding the blade up to the light she read the words she knew were inscribed in the blade of the enchanted sword, _'__Angels in Heaven watch over from above, Always know that you are loved.'_

Serena raised her new shiny enchanted blade just in time to parry Rei's ferocious attack with her own enchanted blade. Serena thrust Rei away, using her power to strengthen and reinforce the action.

Rei cried out in furious frustration, but did not attack again. Instead she warily side stepped, looking for an opening to attack and take her head.

Serena mirrored the movement as Rei took another step. She knew what Rei was doing and she wasn't going to make it easy for her.

Darien wouldn't.

For several long silent moments they circled each other, looking for an opening to end it.

'_Do not you let her take you off guard!' _Darien ordered and warned at the same time, his words echoing sharply in her mind.

Serena smiled confidently. _'You wouldn't, so how can I?'_

'_Serena! This is your first battle regardless of my experience running through that pretty little head of yours!'_

Serena was growing a little annoyed with his unnecessary overprotective antics. _'Fight your own battle!'_

'_Your battles are my battles!'_

Serena huffed and turned her attention back to Rei, ignoring him.

"You dare smirk at me!" Rei screeched, like an enraged banshee.

Serena blinked, perplexed. What had she done to infuriate the princess so much?

Oh, right. Rei must have misread the smile on her lips, thinking it was meant for her to goad her.

That was not who she was. She wasn't like Rei, a Demoness who took pleasure in causing harm to another. This was Darien's half sister, a Demon in by measures but Darien's family none-the-less. Serena wasn't a fool, she knew she'd have to kill Rei or be killed by the Demon princess but she wouldn't take any pleasure in it, regardless of how she personally felt about the princess.

Rei had been raised all her life as a powerful and respected Demonic princess. Serena could see the ambition in her eyes and feel her hunger for power and respect radiating out from her.

Serena couldn't help but feel sorry for her now. All of her life she had been treated as a princess but she'd lived in her brother's shadow, never able to gain her father's approval. Valac had seen the asset he had in his daughter with her sight but it was so obvious that he'd never given her the respect she was worthy of.

Rei was powerful, clever and skilled. Serena had seen that about her in the last twenty hours or so. It was ironic that what Valac had wanted in his son he'd always had in his daughter.

Serena knew she was a Demon, but she could also see what fuelled the anger she could see in the princess. She could empathize with her, she knew of the perplexity that came with less than perfect parent/daughter relationships. For a long time she had almost hated her father and her stepmother for leaving her all alone in the world with no one to care for her but an elderly grandmother who had loved her but hadn't been able to give her the care one as young as her had needed.

Rei's anger obviously came from knowing that her father would never see her as the capable Demoness that she was as he was so set on having his son by his side.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Rei." Serena told her calmly, needing to give her the chance to take the path away from the one she was on. "There are other ways to live than by the pain and death of others. You do have a choice, just as your brother does."

Her words didn't even faze the princess, who was staring at her with evil deadly intent on her flawlessly beautiful face.

"Endymion will have a choice," Rei hissed, her grip visibly tightening around the hilt of her sword. "Once you are dead, he will have to choose whether he dies by his own hand or my father's! I cannot see your future, but I can see Endymion's! With you gone, he will welcome death!"

In their shared mental link, Darien growled menacingly.

Serena took no notice of him as she sensed Rei summon her dark power, the powerful evil in the air causing her skin to prickle and tingle at the icy sensation. It felt cold and evil and foreboding. She could see it swarming around Rei and her blade like an underwater cloud of black smoke with furious red sparks.

It felt so unnatural on her skin that Serena summoned her own power to form a shield around her to keep the dark evil power from touching her.

Rei snarled and Serena tensed, knowing the princess was going to attack her again with deadly force. The princess wanted her head and she'd stop at nothing to get it.

Leaping so fast into the air that she would be invisible to mortal eyes, Rei lifted her sword high over her head, held with both hands, the blade slicing through the air, aimed straight at her to slice her in half.

Knowing that if she thought about it she'd never be able to act fast enough, Serena handed herself over to her instincts and Darien's centuries of skill and experience in battle. This may be her first battle, but as deeply bonded as she and Darien were, it didn't matter. She knew how to win this fight.

The ear piercing clang of metal hitting metal rang through the room and the sword in Serena's hand vibrated brutally, nearly tearing it from her hands. She clinched her teeth and held tightly onto the hilt, she summoned her power and used it to secure her sword to her hand.

The Princess was stronger than she'd expected. It was one thing to _know_ that Demons were strong, even petite female Demonesses, it was another to experience it first hand. Rei may have looked like a regal Demon princess who'd never raised her hands in combat in all her life, but she had the strength only one step short of a male Demon.

Serena thrust Rei away with a thrust of effort and took a step back in order to put some distance between them.

The princess wasn't the only strong Immortal female in the room. At the time Serena had been too preoccupied with her newly acquired power and bond with Darien to take any notice of her new physical abilities.

Serena was now faster, stronger and far more graceful and stealthy. She could feel it, sense it. She'd been born, bred, to be a solider in this war. She was nearly as strong and as fast as the most powerful of Demons on the Earth now, maybe even one day she would be as strong as Darien was.

To really know that, they'd have to put it to the test against each other.

On the other side of the throne room, Darien was too preoccupied to spare the focus to reply to that thought even though he was aware of every move Serena made, watching for any slips on her part that would end with her getting hurt.

Darien had never expected the battle against his father to be easy. Hell he'd always expected it to be his death. The last thing he did before he went onto Hell, as he'd always known that Heaven would reject him.

But now everything had changed. Serena had changed everything in his life. She _was_ his life now. He couldn't, wouldn't, leave her alone to fight this war by herself.

And so he would survive this battle with his father, he had reason to live on and this time he would actually live, not merely exist.

Serena had chosen him, had linked herself to him in the deepest most intimate way possible. She had given herself to him and he would live, no matter how long that may be, to repay such a gift. She was pure hearted, intelligent, beautiful and powerful, a power she had chosen to share with him.

Serena had been born to fight the war he too had been born into and by killing the Demon King, he would eliminate the greatest threat to her, their greatest enemy. With the Demon King banished from the world, the Demon World on Earth would fall into disarray and chaos.

Something that would give them and this world a short time of peace before another rose to take Valac's place as King of the Demons on Earth.

And when that happened, Darien knew that they would deal with him just as they were dealing with the current Demon King, the _only_ Demon King the Earth had ever known.

"You played a game worthy of any Demon Prince. I'm proud of you, Endymion." Valac told him, sounding like a proud father. "So I give you this one last chance, join me Endymion. By my royal oath, the Chosen will remain yours. After all, she is your bonded wife and now Princess and future Queen of the Demon World on Earth. As you are the next rightful king."

His father was wasting his breath. There was nothing his father could say that would cause Darien to even consider really joining him. The only thing he had ever had that had made him do so was Serena.

And Valac was no longer a threat to her. Not now she was the Chosen and Darien shared in her power while she shared in his skill and knowledge.

Not now that Darien was going to kill his father and finally put an end to his long carried burdens.

Valac seemed to see his answer in Darien's eyes as he tightened his told on his powerful black gem solid gold enchanted blade. The blade of the Demon King on Earth.

Darien tightened his hold on his own blade. The moment had come in which son would face the father and only one would walk away. There was no turning back now.

In his mind's eye, Darien watched Serena reengage in battle with his full blooded Demonic half sister. He could feel her moving, the strain of her untrained unprepared hand straining to maintain her tight hold on her blade, her recently enhanced muscles struggling against the unfamiliar strain.

Serena had his know-how coursing through their shared mind but her body, her muscles, did not have the centuries of training his did. Serena was the most powerful being born onto the Earth and she shared her mind with a much older and skilfully trained being, but her body was still flesh and bone that until moments ago had been fully mortal.

'_I'm fine!'_ Serena snapped irritably, reading his thoughts as he was thinking them. _'Focus on your own battle, Darien! I can handle your sister!'_

Pain exploded through his abdomen as Rei tore through the flesh of Serena's abdomen.

Serena cried out in pain as Rei's inch long razor sharp claw-like fingernails sliced through the delicate flesh of her stomach.

Blood gushed from the wound and Serena mentally cursed at herself for her stupidity. She shouldn't have taken her focus from Rei! The bond between them was so new, so fresh, it was going to take time to learn to block out each others thoughts when they needed too.

Violent urges and blinding rage that weren't her own turned her vision red, and it took all the self control Serena possessed not to act on Darien's violent impulses. He wanted to kill his sister for hurting her, for causing her pain.

For daring to harm what was his to protect.

'_Cool it Darien!'_ Serena warned him sharply. _'It's nothing that can't be-.'_

Serena didn't even manage to finish her unspoken sentence before she felt their shared power swell to life and gather around her, focusing on her wound.

A moment later, the wound was healed. Gone as if it had never been.

Darien had healed her wound, even the material of her gown that had been torn, before she'd even had the chance to do it herself.

Serena huffed. It seemed that this was going to take some getting used too.

And with that thought, Serena made her first real mistake as she was momentarily distracted.

Through Serena's eyes, Darien watched as Rei lunged at her, swinging her sword high and wide to take Serena's head from her shoulders. In response, and purely by reflex, Serena thrusted her sword upwards to deflect the attack.

It wasn't until Rei hit her blade that Serena read in Darien's thoughts that she'd made a grave mistake. She'd saved her neck – literally – but she'd left herself open to a second attack as Serena had both her hands wrapped around the hilt of her blade while Rei had her hilt grasped with only one hand.

Serena sensed rather than saw Rei summon a second blade, a jewel encrusted dagger, to her free hand that was now piercing the air, heading straight for her heart.

An injury even she wouldn't survive.

NO! Darien!

It was all Serena could think, that Darien would die with her because of the bond formed between them. They were one, one heart, one life force. One couldn't live without the other, how did a creature with a soul live with only a half life?

'_I'm sorry.'_ Serena whispered to her love, knowing they were the last words that would pass through her mind before the injury came.

'_NO!'_

Serena gasped, her eyes flying open at Darien's desperate soul-shattering cry and she felt herself falling for a brief moment only to come to a gentle halt.

At first, Serena thought that her eyes were still closed as all she could see was black, but with a blink she realised that it was black fabric. She was staring into Darien's back.

Serena looked herself up and down and realised that she was suspended in midair on a tilted angle. As if time had frozen while she'd been falling backwards through the air towards the floor, but it hadn't been time stopping that had prevented her from landing flat on her backside.

She could feel their combined power swirling around her, holding her safely in the air, her sword still held in her hands.

Serena looked into Darien's mind and saw that at the last moment – that's all it had taken from him to cross the room to her – and had pushed her backwards away from his sister's dagger. His sword, held in one hand, was where hers had been the moment before, holding back Rei's sword while he held Rei's wrist tightly in his other hand.

Serena could feel the murderous glare Darien held in his cold threatening eyes as he stared down into his sisters blood red heated eyes that blazed with livid fire.

Serena released the breath she'd unknowingly been holding. This was definitely going to take some getting used too.

To think that a week ago – is that really all it'd been? – she'd been a normal young woman with simple dreams. There had been nothing special about her and she hadn't dreamed of riches and glory.

Now look at her. She was the most powerful Immortal Warrior born on Earth in the Immortal War between Angels and Demons for the fate of all mankind. She was married to a fierce warrior of a man – who was hundreds of years old and fathered by the King of the Demons on Earth – and she is currently held stationary in midair as if gravity had abandoned her with her majorly overprotective half-Demon husband who held a sword in his hand to deflect the attack of his half-sister, the Princess of the Demons on Earth.

Life was funny like that.

Serena knew that Darien aware of her thoughts at how much had changed in her life in only seven days, but he was unable to focus on her line of thought at the present time. He wanted to kill his sister for harming her, Serena could feel the impulse as well as if it had been her own, but she couldn't allow that. It would be one more thing that he'd never be able to forgive himself for.

Rei was hers to handle.

"Are you sure, Serena?" Darien asked her aloud, conflicted. His voice hard, ice cold and furious. He wanted to kill the threat to her but at the same time he knew that whatever burden he carried, he'd share with her.

They might not have known each other for very long, but she'd been right when she'd stated that this would be a regret he'd carry.

Personally, Rei had never done a thing against him until this night.

Serena raised her hand and placed his gently, reassuringly, against the middle of his back. "I'm a part of this war now. Sooner or later, I'll have to fight. Not even you can change that. This is what I was born for."

Darien hesitated, remaining motionless, glaring furiously, darkly, into his sister's blood red eyes.

Serena summoned her power and willed it to come between Darien and Rei, gently pushing Rei back from him until they were parted by several feet of space while at the same time, her feet returned to the floor and she magically up-righted herself.

"Go." Serena commanded him, her voice unyielding.

With one last murderous glare at Rei, Darien turned and walked away from them, returning to his battle with his father.

'_I'll be watching.'_

Serena smiled as she sighed heavily. This was something she knew she'd have to get used too because it was never going to change. He could protect and dote upon her until the day they both left this world for the next.

'_When aren't you?'_

Rei watched her brother leave them. She had been so close to killing the Chosen until her brother had interfered and instead of killing her for it, Endymion had left them to continue their battle.

Why? Why had he, without a word, left them to continue their battle when he could have so easily and so effortlessly killed her?

Did Endymion want the Chosen dead? Was it that with her death, and bonded as they were, Endymion would be able to claim all her power for his own. Was that his wish?

Rei turned her gaze back to the Chosen to see her staring after him with a fond smile on her face, her eyes almost twinkling with the emotion mortals called love. She herself had never known it, but she had seen it enough times in the eyes of the pathetic mortals to recognise it.

The Chosen turned her loving gaze from Endymion to her and Rei taken aback at the soft kindness that came to the Chosen's eyes.

"I asked him to," The Chosen told her almost as if she had read her thoughts on her face. "He loves me and trusts in me that I know my limitations. We're both new at this but he does trust me."

"He's always been weak." Rei snapped defensively, not wanting to succumb to the foolishness that the Chosen believed in. "His weakness has never been greater than when protecting females."

"You're wrong." The Chosen told her as she lowered her sword.

Rei was not fooled in the least; the Chosen had lowered her weapon but not her guard.

"It takes strength to love, bravery to put one's heart on the line." The Chosen told her, her tone expressive in a way that Rei could not name. "We take a great risk when we love because we give another the power to destroy us. That is why trust is so important, I love Darien and have given him the means to destroy me, but I trust him with it completely. I trust in my heart that he'd never betray me even if I didn't know for sure in the beginning."

Rei opened her mouth to tell the Chosen to shut up, but before she could speak a word, a meek hesitant thought entered her mind.

What if it wasn't all rubbish?

Over the decades Rei had seen it time and time again, mortals doing impossible things, sacrificing everything, even their lives and their souls, in the name of the thing they called love.

For so long Rei had believed that it was merely a mortal fantasy, something to give them hope and keep them from being alone with their fear and insecurities.

But what if there really was such a thing as love?

Rei looked past the Chosen at her brother, who even now fought against their father and was surprisingly holding his ground though neither of them had a single wound.

Endymion had come out of hiding willing to hand himself over to their father to keep the woman he claimed to love safe.

And just moments ago Rei herself had witnessed what had never before been heard of. The two had formed a bond between them that was eternal and unbreakable. They had become one. She herself had seen it. She could feel the power flowing between them, the warmth and trust.

Maybe . . . if her brother was capable of love, then maybe so was she.

Something inside of her stirred and before Rei knew what was happening, a wave of hot ruthless evil power washed over her and all her doubts and conflicting thoughts were gone.

Rei knew who she was and she knew who the Chosen was.

A pathetic fool.

Rei threw her sword up into the air and charged at the Chosen, "Enough! Now you'll die!"

To Rei's complete astonishment, the Chosen did not even move to raise her sword to defend herself.

At first Rei thought that the Chosen wished to die, but the moment the tip of her sword would have penetrated the Chosen's flesh, the Chosen burst into bright white sparking light and her sword became stuck in midair.

"You want to believe." The Chosen looked into her eyes, kindness and empathy sparkling as brightly in her eyes as the rest of her sparkled and shone. "Despite all the evil you have done, there is a spark of good in you."

And the Chosen reached out and gently touched her check and all Rei knew was light, warmth and the vision that exploded into life before her wide unseeing eyes.

Rei could see herself, only she was dressed in the clothes of the mortals. A man, a mortal whose face she could not see, had his arm around her shoulders as they watched a small laughing boy with dark brown hair and green eyes play in the grass at their feet.

As Serena had intended, after Rei's power turned on herself, she was enabling Rei to see her possible future. A future in which Rei lived free of evil and war, but what Serena hadn't expected was a different vision to flash before her eyes as she tapped into Rei's second sight.

As she stared into Rei's eyes, and for a moment their minds become one, Serena saw herself, held in Darien's arms, as she held a child, a baby girl, lovingly in her arms.

Serena gasped in wondrous disbelief. The vision wouldn't come to pass for a long time, it was five thousand years away, and might not even come to pass, but it was one possible future. Serena could feel the happiness and love that peace in the war had finally come to pass. Their daughter had been born into a world of peace among the Three Worlds.

Andrew had been given a gift well deserved, while Rei would earn hers in time by learning what it was that made the mortals worth protecting, worth fighting for to save. Rei had been born into the Demon World, unlike Darien and Andrew she'd never known what mortals, humans, were capable of.

Serena would give her the chance to learn.

"Go," Serena whispered to her kindly. "Remember nothing of this life or this World. I give you this second chance. Live. Learn. Love."

And Serena willed her power the flow through her fingers and into Rei, stripping her of her powers, her immortality and the Demonic blood in her veins.

"Be reborn."

Rei exploded into blinding white light and then was gone, sent far away with no memory, to begin her mortal life.

* * *

Darien was grateful for Serena's merciful resolution. Although he had never felt love for his Demonic sister, he had never wanted serious harm to come to her. Whatever she was, whatever she had been born as, she was still his sister.

Serena had given Rei a chance at a different life, a peaceful and safe life that she would live, unknowingly protected by them both. She would have a chance at life, to learn what it was that Mortals lived for.

Darien hoped that Rei would find peace and even love in her mortal life, and earn herself a place in Heaven when her time on the Earth ended.

"NO!" Valac roared furiously, realising too late what the Chosen had done to his daughter. With his son's final betrayal, his daughter had been his last heir. He turned his attention towards Serena, dark fury blazing in his black eyes. "You have taken my son from me and now my daughter! You will die for your crimes against me!"

But as his father moved to step around him, Darien side stepped to put himself between his father and his love, standing between them protectively.

Valac would never again get close to Serena, that Darien would assure.

"You will not harm her," Darien told him, his voice hard with resolution. "You will never harm anyone ever again."

"You were my son! Born to be a king, to stand beside me and know greatness and glory beyond even the Three Worlds! And _this_ is what you choose? To side against your own blood for a woman!"

Darien looked into his father's eyes knowing he would never understand what he was fighting for, what he was so willing to sacrifice his life for. "Not for a woman, for love."

With a furious frustrated roar at his incessant defiance, Valac swung his blade, aiming for his neck just as Rei had aimed at Serena moments before.

Darien brought his blade up just in time to parry the attack, but his father was not going to be so easily defeated. He attacked relentlessly, searching for an opening to take the life of his only son.

They circled each other like synchronized dancers, wary and seeking that one mistake that would mean the others death. They sliced and hacked at each other, while Serena watched silently from a safe distance away, just as Darien wished.

Darien wanted her safe and to not interfere, and Serena would give him what he wished just as he'd done for her during his own battle with his sister, even though it was the hardest thing she'd ever done.

And it would remain one of the hardest things she'd ever do even though her immortal life had just begun.

Darien was thankful for Serena's understanding of his need to end this himself.

This was the battle Darien had waited for his entire life and as he had always known, he needed every skill, every trick and every sense that he had spend centuries enhancing. Valac was older than either of them could understand, in fact Darien did not even know his father's true age.

And the truth was that, Darien knew without a doubt, that without Serena's love and power to amplify his own and give him the will to survive, he would have lost this battle and he would have paid for it with his life, one way or another.

And just like that, Darien saw that his moment had finally come.

His father had always underestimated him, always miscalculated his skill and drive to see his father dead, and now he was going to pay for that mistake with his life.

Before Darien's eyes, time seemed to slow to a crawl. He saw his father leap into his attack, swinging his sword with the clear intent to take his head in a single smooth but final blow.

Darien lowered his sword and raised his eyes to meet his father's. His father's eyes were black and filled with flaring rage and cold hatred. Darien had always been grateful that he had the eyes of his mother because such Demonic dark eyes staring back at him every time he caught sight of his reflection would have been too much for him, but even though he had forgiven his father and had let go of his hatred and rage, he was still just as grateful.

Such eyes could never hold love or joy.

Whatever Valac saw in his eyes caused his to grow wide. Maybe he read his intentions in his eyes, maybe he was shocked that his son seemed to be giving up his life willingly, or maybe, just maybe, he realised too late his fatal mistake.

Throwing his upper body backwards, Darien allowed his feet to fall out from under him and for gravity to claim him.

Adding his power to the fall so that he would fall at an unnatural and more rapid pace, he fell through the air towards the floor just as his father's blade pierced the air his neck had occupied a single heartbeat before. He even felt the cold steel sweep through the air across the tip of his nose.

As he fell, Darien brought up his sword with all his strength.

Darien landed on the floor flat on his back, to find himself once against staring into his father's wide eyes.

Long silent moments passed in which the three of them did not dare to move or even breathe.

"It was always going to be you." Valac muttered softly. "From the moment you were born this was only a matter for time away. And yet I let you live just the same."

Darien slowly uncurled his fingers from around the hilt of his sword, but it remained where it was, floating in midair as its blade was held fast in the chest of the Demonic Kng. He slowly rose to his feet as his father fell to his knees.

Valac looked up into his son's eyes, strangely proud of him for being strong enough to end him. "If you think it will end with me, you are mistaken."

Valac was no fool, he knew he was dying and in a strange way, he welcomed the peace of death. He had lived so long, there was not enough room left in his head for all the memories his life had given him.

"No." Serena said as she walked over to stand at Darien's side. She lowered to her knees before the fallen king, looking into his black eyes. "It ended with me. You hold no power over him anymore. Darien is finally free of you, not because he has killed you but because he loves again. He has always had a human heart. His mother gave it to him and it's something you've never been able to taint or take from him."

Valac looked up at his son, unable to continue to stare into the unbearably soft and kind eyes of the Chosen. "You could've been something great. You could've brought Heaven and this World to its knees before you."

Serena glanced over her shoulder and smiled up at Darien. "He's always been something great." She returned her gaze to the dying Demonic king. "Just not the kind of greatness you intended."

Something flashed across Valac's face, something meaningful and strangely out of place.

Serena's eyes narrowed in suspicious thought. What she had seen in his eyes she was having difficulty naming. A faint voice in the corner of her mind was trying to tell her something. Something she couldn't quite understand. It was as if it were something right before her eyes, only she wasn't seeing it.

Summoning her newly acquired power, Serena sent it pouring down over Darien's father, scanning him as Darien had done to her a couple of times over the last week. There was something about Valac that hadn't been there – or she just hadn't noticed – before.

Her scan complete but it told her nothing. Unable to break eye contact with him, Serena searched deeper.

And then it hit her.

Serena gasped in complete shock and incredulity. She felt Darien's eyes widen in identical incredulity as he read the truth in her thoughts as if they were his own.

Knowledge, that was neither her's nor Darien's entered their joined minds. Knowledge that was the truth that Valac had tried for so long to keep hidden.

Valac's true name was Araqiel.

Serena couldn't believe what she was learning from the memories of Darien's fallen father. Something she never would've believed even if she'd lived for all the rest of time. "You are Araqiel, one of the Angels trusted with the dominion over the Earth. You are a Fallen Angel."

Darien could not believe it. Never had he even considered the thought that his father had not been a Demon in full, a human soul twisted and reborn in Hell.

His father was an Angel? What did that make him?

Valac's laughed coldly, his expression filled with long carried loathing and pain. "A secret I have kept even from my brothers. I couldn't stand it anymore. Lucifer saw what humanity would become but I was a fool like so many of my brothers. I did not believe him until I was here. Until I saw the evil and greed spreading like a plague. I could not return to Heaven after seeing what I had seen, after protecting such creatures. So I cut myself off from Heaven and my name and I fell. My brothers all believed me dead and I was. I could not forgive Father for creating such a virus in the human race, a race that is against everything of nature."

Valac looked up at Darien, his son. "Your mother was the only one who was ever able to see me for what I truly was. She was something special, different. She reminded me of my sisters in Heaven. I could not believe that such a human was possible. I could not resist the temptation that she was. I wanted to destroy her, to tear her down, but then she fell pregnant with you. A child. My child. I could not believe it."

Serena felt Darien's pain flare within him at the callous mention of his mother from this Fallen Angel's lips. She instantly sent a wave of reassuring love washing through him, comforting him and soothing his pain, washing it away.

"So I let her live." Valac went on, his eyes almost glazed over as if he were lost in the memories of his past. "I planned to use you to destroy her, but she had such influence over you before I saw what was happening. In truth I should have expected it. Such a pure heart, worthy of any Angel. When I saw that she was turning you against me, I once again found myself seeking a way to break her, but I knew I could not do it as obviously as before as I would risk losing you. My son."

Darien gave no reaction to his provoking words.

"I offered her the chance to join me in eternity." Valac shrugged indifferently. "She refused of course. She was the only mortal I was never able to break."

Feeling every emotion Darien was feeling, Serena gave his father one last minute of her attention. "You were charged with the protection of the Earth by your Father, the Father of us all. You have lived this life because you couldn't face him, but Darien is not you, and he never has and never will be. He has faced you and he has won. He is the son worthy of the divine being you once were. Not what you have become. I now believe that all of that goodness that was once in you was reborn in Darien. The same goodness his mother possessed. It flows thickly through his veins, that is why he could never be the Demon Prince you wanted him to be. Go in peace Araqiel and may the Holy Father have mercy on you."

And with that said Serena rose to her feet, turned her back to the fallen Demon King and took hold of Darien's hand and turned them both towards the exit.

Serena felt love and joy swell within Darien's heart and soul that now knew peace.

Hand in hand, they walked away from the fallen Demonic King as he drew his last breath and life left his Demonic form, which a moment later disappeared in a violent burst of the flames of Hellfire.

There was no one to mourn for the fallen Demon King, the fallen Angel, Araqiel.


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

Across the city, as the night sky slowly began to recede and dawn neared, the Angel Ariel addressed his audience with cold hard ambition in the safety of the deserted cemetery.

"She has Chosen. She has become the Condemned. We must destroy her."

In the shadows, leaning against the circular wall, Cassiel shook his head in solemn disapproval. To the dozen or so of his brothers and sisters present, he appeared patient and composed, and he was so, but in truth he was waiting. It would not be long now, which was the reason why he was not interfering in Ariel's efforts to persuade the other Angels to join him in his murderous quest of killing the Chosen.

Cassiel hadn't needed his second sight to know that Ariel had summoned them all because he wanted the blood of the new Chosen; the Choice had been made and it was unclear to him, therefore Ariel automatically assumed that the Chosen had sided against them. Distrust and ruthlessness were Ariel's way. He had been fighting the war for far too long without returning home to the clouds of Heaven for rest and rejuvenation in essence and in faith.

Another Angel stepped forward, determination flaring in her fearful eyes. Ariel was an Angel even other Angels feared – Cassiel was the exception – but this Angel would fight for the Chosen, even if it meant her death. And she was not the only one present who would do so.

"She killed Valac!" Mina argued aggressively. "Something no other Chosen has ever been able to do since he broke out of Hell. This is not the act of a Chosen who has sided against us! Of a Condemned!

Furious fire flashed in Ariel's eyes, a menacing warning reflected clear within the almost hallow depths. "She has allied herself with a Demon! With Valac's own son! Is her choice not clear?"

A second Angel stepped forward to face Ariel, her fear hidden well in her eyes. "We do not know that!" Amy pointed out logically. "We cannot kill her unless we are certain that she has sided against us! If we are wrong, then the scales and the balance for the next five thousand years will be without a guardian, it may even be forever lost!"

"She has taken sides with Endymion!" Ariel spat furiously, his entire form shaking with his rage. He was not accustomed to being challenged, especially by those he viewed as lower level Angels.

Another Angel stepped into the circle in the middle of the room. This Angel stared serenely and calmly into Ariel's eyes. He was the personal envoy of the Archangel Gabriel, Ariel would not attack him. Even Ariel was not fool enough not to fear the Circle of Seven. "And when has Endymion's side ever been clear? You felt it as well as I, he was there when his father perished."

"He wanted his father's throne!" Ariel threw his arm out towards the city, the direction from which the shockwave of Demonic power from the Demon King's death had echoed across the earth. It had been proof that Valac had been wiped from the face of the Earth once and for all. "He wanted his father dead! He only used her to get his chance and take his father's power!"

Livid fire replaced the fear in the eyes the remaining female Angel. "By riding us of every Demon in Los Angels?" Lita wanted nothing more than to hit the self-righteous Angel. "When was the last time such a thing was accomplished? Her side is clear and I will not let you harm the Chosen who has so evidently sided with us!"

Ariel glared murderously down into her eyes, hard ice within his own. He was not accustomed to being challenged in such a blatant way, especially by an Angel lower than he. "She dies." His tone was one of lethal authority and cold hard resolve. "That is our duty. Written in the Laws of Heaven on Earth!"

"And Endymion?" Mina asked through clinched teeth.

"His death is long since due." Ariel hissed aggressively, "Valac should never have been allowed to bare a son!"

Cassiel had decided to stay out of the dispute even before it had started, letting the Chosen's closest guardians stand for her, but that comment he could not ignore. He pushed himself off the wall and stepped into the light. "You cannot deny a child life purely because of who his father is!"

Ariel's eyes flashed with prejudice and rage as Cassiel, the one Angel who had always stood against him when necessary without fear or hesitation, who had never succumb to Ariel's menacing intimidation. "A son is always his father's son! They both must die! I will end them both myself and I will do so with any who stands in my way!"

Soft feminine laughter, not that belonging to an Angel, echoed thought the circular room from the shadows of the doorway.

All fourteen Angels, Cassiel with a knowing grin on his face, turned as the Chosen stepped out of the shadows, calmly, casually. Unafraid.

"Did you hear that, my love?" Serena practically purred, well and truly amused. "Ariel thinks he can take you from me."

"So he does," Darien answered her, his tone hard and unforgiving as he stepped out of the shadows, standing protectively at the Chosen's back. "And take your life in the process." His expression was amused, but his eyes were as hard and as cold as Ariel's in lethal warning to any who should try to touch her.

Serena laughed loudly, amused, throwing a loving and confident smile at him over her shoulder. "With you watching over me? Such a thing isn't possible. I can feel your desire to protect me even now. I can feel your love for me. Any who dared to attempt to harm me would die long before they got anywhere near me."

Darien threw Ariel a hard warning glare. "Could it be that he does not know?"

Serena chuckled playfully. "So it would seem, my love."

Darien laughed along with her, he too was deeply amused.

Serena turned her attention back to the fuming Angel they were disrespecting. Her friends were there but now wasn't the time to thank them for their help and their loyalty. "You can feel it, can't you? We're bonded soul mates now, one and whole. A bond that, as it turns out, magnifies our power. Our power is one in the same. I can feel my power running through his veins." Serena finished with a feminine purr.

A collective gasp echoed through the Angels, all but Ariel, who was glaring murderous daggers at Darien, and Cassiel, who wore a triumphant, knowing and almost proud grin. Mina, Lita and Amy's gasps were those of delight.

"You see, Darien can yield my power as he wills, while I can his. Behold his Demon Blade." Serena raised her hand and Darien's enchanted Demon Blade appeared floating above her hand.

Serena studied the blade that had shed so much blood in her defence for a long moment before she turned to her love. "Such a weapon is below you now my love, perhaps you would prefer this?"

In a flash of light, the sword morphed into a much more powerful blade, at her will to match her own, only twice the size of her own. It was identical from the rose and crescent moon design engraved into the blade to the inscription engraved just below the hilt. It was so powerful, forged from love, and able to kill anything with one blow. A blade of the Kingdom of Heaven, Hell and the Earth.

Serena held the blade out to him for him to take.

Darien smiled proudly at her, and held his hand out for the blade. A single heartbeat later, it flew magically through the air and into his hand.

Another Angel, who had not yet been part of the argument, fearful that this is when his life would end – he did not fear death, but he loved the earth and did not want to be cast from it – turned to the Chosen with a solemn expression. "So you have sided against us."

Serena gave the Angel a look of dramatic innocent confusion. "Why would you say that?"

He looked pointed at Darien. "You have taken a Demon child for a mate. The Prince and heir to the throne of the Demon World on Earth."

Serena sighed heavily, shaking her head in dismay. "You still haven't learned. Things are not as black and white as they once were. This is why I have chosen both and neither side. My duty is to protect the balance, not to end this war. That is not my place. Not yet, anyway. There is still too much to do first." She waved her hand dismissively.

Behind her Darien glared darkly at Ariel who was becoming more and more enraged with each word she spoke.

Serena raised her head and looked around and each of them in turn. "There is more grey than you can see right now. I have seen both good in Demons and evil deeds in Angels."

A pointed look at Ariel.

"Things are changing. I see a peace coming, a world when all Three Kingdoms will be able to coexist. A day in which there will no longer be war; peace will come to Angels, Demons and Mortals alike." Serena held out her hand to Darien, who stepped forward and took tight hold of her hand. "And my love and I will live to see that day, whether it comes in five thousand or ten thousand years. As Darien and I share power, we share life. As long as one lives, so shall the other." A broad grin spread across her beaming face. "Basically, I have no expiration date."

Darien could feel her happiness and her love glowing in her chest and in his own, and then he felt her turn serious. She wanted her message to them to be loud and clear.

Her friends waited and listened in silence while beaming with love, pride and joy for their little sister who had found her strength and her place.

"Hear this," Serena's voice was hard with authority and warning. "We will protect the balance and we will take down any Angel or Demon who threatens it. We decree a term of non-conflict between Angels and Demons. Any who disobey, we will deal with. Angel and Demon alike."

Ariel growled furiously, but warily. "You cannot do that! This war must be fought! The Demons must be wiped from the Earth!"

Serena gave him an intrigued look. "Is that so? Why is that? Why can't Demons co-exist with the rest of us?"

It was a clear challenge, to all present.

Ariel fumed with humiliation and fury. "Because they are evil! They can be nothing else, know nothing else!"

Serena turned to Darien with a mocking expression, "Did you hear that, my love? You are evil simply because of the blood in your veins."

Darien said nothing in return. Instead her husband gave her a loving smile from where he stood protectively beside her.

Serena turned her attention back to Ariel, reaching out with her power, wrapping it around him so that she could read his angelic soul. "There is evil in your heart, Ariel." Her voice softened. "Why can't there be good in a Demon's heart?"

Ariel's jaw dropped, gob smacked, as if she'd just insulted him in the greatest possible manner. "How dare-!" He extended his hand to call his Angelic Blade to his hand.

But before Ariel's blade could materialise in his hand, or the girls could act to protect her, Serena's power surged and blocked the summons, while Darien's blade suddenly appeared at the hostile Angel's throat.

Darien's eyes narrowed dangerously as he sensed Serena summon a shield around the three of them, preventing all Angels but Cassiel from aiding Ariel.

Serena spoke sternly, her patience with him at an end. "I am the Chosen, this is what I have decided, and so it shall be until the time of the next Chosen, of our child-." She threw Darien a quick meaningful look before turning back to Ariel. "-comes to pass. Disobey and face our blade. As it shall be for all, Angel, Demon and Mortal alike."

Darien glared hard in Ariel's eyes, daring him to defy her. "Is that clear?"

Ariel glared furiously back into Darien's eyes for a long while, saying nothing.

Cassiel, his smile friendly and proud, took a step forward to address Ariel. "I told you so, brother. An impossible match would bring about a time of change. Two opposites have proven that love can bloom in the most unlikely of places."

Ariel growled furiously, but said nothing. Darien slowly, hesitantly, lowered his blade, his eyes watchful and warning.

Serena turned her attention to the other twelve Angels. "If you would excuse us, we wish to speak with Cassiel. And my friends. Alone." Her words were polite, but her tone warned them not to linger.

With eight simultaneous flashes of blinding white light, only seven remained in the place where Angels gathered.

"Go." Darien warned Ariel icily.

With one last murderous glare, Ariel too disappeared in a flash of blinding white light.

While Darien and Cassiel watched wordlessly, Serena turned to her friends, the Angels Amy, Mina and Lita, who had defended her until the end, even against such a force that was Ariel. "Thank you, my friends."

Before Serena knew what was happening, she was in the middle of a group hug, her friends holding her tightly as they had so many times in the past.

"We're so proud of you, Serena." Amy told her, emotionally.

"We knew you could do it!" Lita cheered proudly.

"We have always believed in you." Mina whispered lovingly.

"I know." Serena told them as they pulled away from her and she looked around at them all. They'd been such an important part of her life for so long, she loved them all. They were her sisters and would always be. "I love you all so much."

Serena looked around at her friends again, her sisters who all had tears in their eyes, with tears in her own eyes.

"Silly girl." Mina said with a shake of her head, tears still gathering in her baby blue eyes. "This isn't goodbye.

"We will always be with you." Amy reassured.

Lita wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her another sisterly hug. "And we'll see each other again. If you ever need us, all you have to do is call and we'll be right down."

Serena let out a sound that was half between a laugh and a sob. "I'll miss you all so much."

Mina looked over her shoulder at Darien, "Girl, I don't think you're going to have too much time to miss us. At least not for a while. You're a married woman now."

They all laughed.

Darien stepped up behind Serena and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'll take good care of her."

"You'd better!" Lita warned him loudly, a threatening growl in her voice.

"You'll face us if you don't." Amy added, sounding threatening despite her tiny and shy appearance.

"Girls, it's time to go home for a while." Cassiel spoke up from behind them, telling them that it was time to go.

Although they looked like they wanted to argue, all three of them nodded in acceptance.

Serena's heart felt heavy, she was losing her best friends, at least for a while. "Will you all be alright?"

Mina smiled promisingly as she stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "Silly girl. We're going to Heaven. Our home." And she stepped back.

"But that doesn't mean we won't be watching over you," Amy promised as she stepped forward to gently hug her. "Don't ever forget that."

"Yeah," Lita chimed in, hugging her a little roughly as always. "If that husband of yours ever gets out of line, we'll be right down to help you kick his half-Demonic ass."

Serena laughed into Lita's shoulder before she too pulled away. Their light, their aura, was so warm, so loving, that Serena couldn't feel sad, even though her sisters were going away for who-knew-how long. At least there were going home – to a better place.

"You'll be alright, Serena." Lita assured her.

"You're where you belong now." Amy soothed her.

Mina glanced pointedly at Darien. "He loves you, so much. You'll always be happy with him." She smiled cheekily, "I'm so jealous!"

The four sisters laughed together.

Serena refused to let her tears fall as her sisters stepped back a step and each gave her one last parting smile.

"Goodbye, Serena." They said together as they disappeared in a flash of angelic light.

Darien squeezed her shoulder, wordlessly promising her that he was there with her and that he was never going to leave her.

With a heavy heart, Serena stepped back into her husband's embrace and together they turned back to Cassiel, smiling. Even though something so much bigger had begun this night, they had saved the day and they felt victorious and joyous.

"They'll be fine." Cassiel promised her, with a charming smile. "They'll spend some time in Heaven recuperating and then they'll be back. I don't think even Father could keep them from coming back to Earth, back to you."

"Thank you, for everything." Serena beamed at him, feeling better, as she stepped forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Darien smiled warmly at his friend. "If you ever need anything of us-."

Cassiel returned his smile, pride and joy pulsing from him like heat from the sun. "You have given everything." He assured them, bowing his head in gratitude and sharing a friendly meaningful look with Darien. "Take care of her."

Darien's smile widened. Love and joy radiating from him like heat from a supernova. "As if I could do anything else."

"We'll miss you." Serena told him sincerely.

Cassiel was amazed at the love built connection between them. He had foreseen this coming, but not even he had seen just how powerful, how concrete, the bond would be. The light of the Chosen had completely wiped the darkness from Darien. Something that Darien was well deserving of.

Cassiel could feel their love and their joy and it was more powerful than he had ever known outside of Heaven. They were the ones who would bring this war to an end and bring about a time of peace.

He smiled down at the Chosen who had done so much and it was only her first day. He had warmth in his eyes that sparkled angelically. His expression was soft and filled with promise. "We will see each other again someday but as I am no longer needed on Earth for a time, I think I'll go home and enjoy this time of peace."

Serena beamed at him, he was a true friend who she would miss but who had earned his time of peace in Heaven. "Angels in Heaven watch over from above-,"

Cassiel chuckled warmly. "Always know that you are loved. I've heard that before."

Serena chose not to ask. Cassiel had a way of knowing certain things, if not everything. He was a very powerful Angel after all.

Sensing it was their time to leave, Darien wrapped his arm around her possessively. "Until we meet again, my friend. Go in peace and may you find love yourself."

Cassiel just smiled and bowed his head once in response as they turned to leave the place where Angels gathered.

* * *

As they stepped through the doorway, the sun's first light peaked out over the horizon. A new day had come, a day full of possibilities and hope.

They weren't fools, they knew that the road ahead would be paved with hardships and trials, but they weren't worried. As long as they were together, as long as they had each other, they would always be able to overcome anything and everything. They would use the power of their love to bring about peace on Earth.

Darien looked into the sun, for the first time in his long life, seeing the beauty of sunrise, of what the rising of the sun brought with it.

A new day. Hope for the future and a new beginning.

And it felt so wonderful. He felt free, light and happy, in such a way he had never dared to hope to feel.

Darien pulled his gaze from the sunrise, and returned it to his love, his light, his own personal Angel. "So what now, all mighty Chosen?"

Serena laughed happily. With powerful love filling her with glowing happiness, she stepped closer to him, looking up at him with suggestive eyes, "Well, we've declared a ceasefire. And we'll have to fight to uphold it, but for now I want my honeymoon."

Darien blinked in surprise for a moment before he smiled. That he had not expected. He could read every thought in her head but sometimes it was nice for words to be spoken. "We are married. I'd say we're entitled."

Serena snorted. "Damn right, we're entitled. We just defeated the Demon King and dealt with every Demon in LA. I'd say that's earned a couple of months, at least."

Darien raised an eyebrow. "A couple of months?" He liked the sound of that. "Where should we go?"

"First I want some place warm and tropical with those umbrella drinks in the coconut." Serena told him playfully, blissfully.

Darien chuckled as he stared down at her adoringly.

Serena looked deeper into his eyes. Never in her life had she felt so happy, so loved and cherished. Never in her life had she held so much hope for the future. A future they would spend together.

Darien's eyes softened at the thought. "Forever."

It shouldn't have been possible to be so happy, so in love, but here they were. "And then I want to go everywhere. I want to see the world I'll be keeping safe for the next several thousand years."

Darien smiled blissfully. "We have all of time."

Serena smiled happily, "So we do."

"I love you." He whispered sincerely.

"I love you."

Darien did not need to hear her thoughts, to feel her emotions, to know what she wanted this very moment.

Unable to deny her anything, Darien lowered his had and claimed her waiting lips. The first kiss of the eternity of loving kisses to come.

* * *

'_And so my decision is made. Unlike any before me, I've chosen neither side. Through Darien, I've seen that things have changed; there is no longer only evil in Hell and good in Heaven. There are Angels who do terrible things and Demons who know mercy. Both races are learning from the human race and all three are changing. There is an end of this war in sight. It may not be during my time on this Earth, but it is coming.'_

'_So, for as long as it is in my power, neither side will prevail. With Darien at my side, we will protect the balance. Should any on either side try to change what we have set, then they will be dealt with.'_

'_Darien and I both have purpose now, the same purpose and for as long as we live, no matter how many millennia that may be, we will be together without the deadline of my death hanging over our heads.'_

'_We walk the Earth, protecting the Three Kingdoms and guarding the human race. I am what the darkness and the light alike fear, I am one that is neither and is both. Darien and I are proof that light and dark can co-exist, we are proof that there can be peace between light and dark, between good and evil.'_

'_One day, in a long time to come, I will hold our beautiful child in my arms, just as in my vision. Only the next Chosen will be born into a different time than those before her. I hope and pray for her that it will be a time of peace, a time when this war no longer rages, when there is peace between the Three Kingdoms. But the day I hold our daughter in my arms is a long way off. There is much that must happen between now and that glorious day.'_

'_And so, Darien and I walk into the dawn, knowing that night will soon come again. We will fight, we will protect and we stand by each other through the millennia. We are one, never shall we part. I can feel Darien's love and devotion to me beating in his heart, in my heart, in our heart.'_

Darien's warm loving voice, whispered into her mind, _'Come my love, the future awaits us.'_

Serena smiled. A timeless future of unlimited possibilities and hope. Now that was a future she wanted to witness, wanted to be part of.

'_Finally, after so many thousands of millennia of war, there is an end, there is peace in sight, and that is what darkness truly fears, the change and the light Darien and I will bring upon the world.'_

'_The future, for the first time since the beginning of this war, truly looks bright for us all.'_

* * *

Out of sight, three still figures watched as the newly married couple walked, hand in hand, through the cemetery.

The couple could have easily disappeared into thin air, but it seemed that the two were in no hurry to go anywhere. For the moment they seemed more than content to just be together, wherever they were.

"Finally." Serena's mother breathed in relief and overwhelming joy, the Angelic glow around her shimmering in the morning sunlight. "The war has changed and now one day we will know a true end to this pointless war."

Cassiel smiled down at her from where he stood at her side. "It will be hard, but now both Heaven and Hell will begin to accept that things are no longer as they once were. Finally, there is no black and white, no good and evil, only the in-between."

The third figure stepped forward to stand on Cassiel's other side, not quite as close to him as the other female Angel present. She was an Angel with midnight black hair and eyes a rare shade of dark deep blue. "There will be those who will fight against it, on both sides."

Cassiel was confident in his words, as he usually was. "Darien and Serena can handle any and all who do. If they cannot, then allies will rise to help them. They do not know it yet, but they have more allies than they realise. They will not be alone in their fight. When the time comes for the final battle of this war, they will not stand alone."

Several silent moments passed in which the three watched the newly-weds walk away, still unaware that they were being watched. As they disappeared from sight, Serena's mother took Cassiel by the hand and looked lovingly up into his eyes. "Come, my love. Let us return home. Our task here is done." She looked passed Cassiel to Darien's mother. "It's time that we both see Heaven. Our children are safe, happy and together."

Darien's mother glanced after them even though they were gone from sight, love and pride in her glittering eyes. "They deserve no less."

Serena's mother gave her a gentle encouraging smile. "His suffering has ended."

Darien's mother closed her eyes under the light of the sun. "At last." She breathed, in true soul-deep relief.

Cassiel looked around one last time. He had spent so many millennia upon the Earth, it had been so long since he had felt Heaven's warmth, but this was a wonderful world.

Almost home.

It had been here that he had learned that even Angels were capable of falling in love, just as Demons were. Things had changed – in his opinion, for the better – since the days of old. There was no longer just good and evil. The Mortal race had taught him that. Angels were capable of great evil while Demons were capable of great good.

It was all about choice.

The choice all of them, even Angels, had.

It had been three thousand years since Cassiel had made such a choice. Three thousand years since he had fallen in love with the previous Chosen, and it had been eighteen years and nine months since he had fathered a child onto the world.

A beautiful daughter, with a beautiful heart of loving light that the darkness feared above all else. A daughter who had always been destined to fall in love with a Demon Prince and one day would bring about a lasting end to the Immortal War.


End file.
